Kenya, known as one of Africa's most stable democracies, is destablizing into political chaos. However, police report to world media covering the turmoil that they have not been given "shoot to kill" orders as some media outlets had previously reported.

Since the December 27th election, the East African nation has seen extensive rioting and political disruption. Police have been given orders "to disable in order to effect detention" a police spokesperson said. Police are only permitted to discharge weapons fire when confronted by groups of armed men who do not comply with orders to lay down their weapons.

In an effort to stop the violence, the government has issued orders to police to arrest "trouble makers" who have been attacking, burning and killing, while acting with impunity behind the guise of political parties.

The problems in Kenya erupted shortly after the general election in late December when the opposition Orange Democratic Party accused President Mwai Kibaki of rigging the vote to win re-election in a race against Raila Odinga. The dispute soon took on ethnic overtones.

Nearly 1000 have been killed and a quarter million displaced in the dispute. Police seem to be quelling the insurrection with considerable restraint and professionalism.

An American diplomat said recently that the rioting amounted to an effort at ethnic cleansing, trying to push out members of the Kikuyu tribe, loyal to President Kibaki.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan pleaded on Tuesday with Kenya's government to take "extraordinary measures" to protect civilians, just hours after an opposition lawmaker was killed outside his home.

"Kenya, which has long been a stable and peaceful country, today is in turmoil with innocent men, women and children being hounded and killed," Annan told Kenya's National Assembly shortly before engaging in talks with both Kibaki and Odinga with the goal of settling the differences between the two leaders.