The warning came from the Friends Church Peace Team, which has called on the government to investigate claims of training and preparation for renewed violence in Turbo Division in Uasin Gishu District in the Rift Valley Province.

The Catholic Information Service for Africa reports that the peace team, an initiative of the Friends Church or Quakers, carried out a survey in Turbo in November which revealed “widespread opinion” that prosecution of the perpetrators of last year’s chaos “will trigger a new cycle of violence in the very near future.

“There is credible evidence that concrete plans are being made for such violence, with Luhyias and Luos as the particular targets, and local political leaders’ involvement,” the team said in statement summarising the findings.

Suspected architects of last year’s violence, including senior politicians and businesspeople from the Rift Valley, are among persons who could be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague for crimes against humanity.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence (CIPEV) came up with the names, which are contained in a secret envelope kept by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan who brokered the political settlement that ended the chaos last year.

But last week Parliament failed to pass legislation in time to set up a tribunal to try the suspects. Now Kofi Annan must decide whether to allow the Kenyan parliament more time to pass the necessary legislation or whether to pass the names to the ICC.

The Friends Church survey established that peace building efforts have collapsed in Turbo and recommended nationwide peace initiatives.

“The government, religious groups, civil society and all Kenyans must invest in urgent efforts towards a durable peace in Kenya . Without addressing the root causes of last year’s violence, and without building trust and cooperation between various groups, our country remains dangerously vulnerable to renewed cycles of violence.”

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