Kenya Situation Alarming - Peters

The Foreign Minister, Rt Hon Winston Peters, said today he was deeply shocked by the killings that have taken place in a number of Kenyan cities and towns following the disputed results from the presidential elections in Kenya. More than 300 people have died in the last four days of unrest.

"The New Zealand Government is closely following events in Kenya and calls on political leaders to urge their supporters to end the violence and engage in political dialogue to find a peaceful resolution to the current crisis."

"These have been the most competitively contested elections in Kenya's history but international observers have questioned the result and called for an investigation. There have been significant irregularities in the counting process which undermines the integrity of the election and calls into question the official result", said Mr Peters.

"The Government supports efforts being made by the UK, the EU and US to find a solution to the crisis, and applauds the efforts of the Commonwealth and African Union in their efforts to initiate dialogue between the political parties in Kenya."

"We will continue to follow the situation as it unfolds and will work with the rest of the international community to see an end to the violence and an independent review of the election result."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has updated its travel advice to warn against all but essential travel to the affected areas of Kenya.

ENDS

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