Kenyans keep their sense of humour.

Well, I have finally been out of the house to relieve a little of the cabin fever.

Things are fairly normal somehow and the tension has dropped a little. There seems to be the normal amount of people and traffic on the road that you usually get on a public holiday, and apart from the few shops that are open and are completely overwhelmed with customers who probably have little left in their homes after the continuous back to back public holidays we've been having and the tension that has kept most people at home, things seem to be ticking along in some form of resemblance of normal.

Some matatus (minibuses) are out plying some few routes although i think they are being extremely careful as to who is driving them and how far they go, as currently it seems that any Kikuyu's caught in the wrong place are likely to be lynched.

Sadly it has all become extremely tribal after the election results and after what seemed such a non-tribal and very peaceful voting day, it is a great shame for our country that it has come to this.

I did see a friend's driver at the shops who tells me that things in Kibera and Mathare (two of the biggest slums here in Nairobi), had more burning and looting overnight but he says that the police now seem to be in control in those areas this morning. (I should think this is basically because there is a total curfew being imposed in those areas and anyone found outside their homes will be shot on site).

There has been a few bigwigs who have got together and stood up and formed a 'Peace Initiative', and they are trying their utmost to get the two sides to talk, although i hear that Raila is not agreeing to any form of dialogue with Kibaki at this stage as he says by doing so it will be seen as recognising Kibaki as the president and he is not willing to do that. Lets hope though as the day progresses, someone, somewhere can get some form of dialogue going to relieve this tension.

One thing that has been great this morning is the New Year messages I have been getting. Throughout all of this it seems that Kenyans have certainly not lost their sense of humour, and are poking fun at the entire election process and what has happened since then from both sides of the fence.

I have had:

"I take this opportunity to wish you a most Happy and Prosperous 2008, as any further delay will be termed as rigging and I have no Form 16 or 16A to support my wishes!"

(The forms 16 and 16A are the ones used by the polling stations to send their official results to the Electoral Commission, the ECK)

Then i got:

"Wishing you a happy new year but unable to confirm which year as we await the final tally of days from the ECK. Early reports show we are in 1952. Note: This SMS is recorded and not live."

(Thus poking at the fact that we have been put under a live broadcast ban as the government says that live broadcasting is inciting violence - work that one out for yourselves.)

Finally i just had:

"HaPNU Year"

(PNU being Kibaki's party.)