Kenyans planning Chicago peace rally

United Kenyans of Chicago will hold a peace rally from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday outside their offices at 1111 N. Wells St. in an effort to spotlight the political and ethnic fighting occurring in their homeland.

City officials as well as community advocates of several African nations will participate, UKC officials said. Roughly 5,000 native Kenyans now call the Chicago area home.

The rally was called in response to ongoing violence in Kenya that broke out after a Dec. 27 presidential election that was won by the incumbent amid accusations of widespread voting irregularities.

Kenya long has been considered a stable African nation that has been used as a base of operations for relief efforts in neighboring war-torn countries.

Media in Kenya report more than 300 have been killed and up to 100,000 displaced since the violence erupted five days ago.

While the fighting stems from political strife, at its heart are tribal conflicts. That has led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and concerns from worldwide relief organizations that continued violence could lead to full-scale genocide.