The horrifying scenes of violence and destruction which have left 300 people dead in Kenya this week are a reminder that the country's inter-communal stability cannot be taken for granted in the face of the strongly contested presidential election result.
Regarded as east Africa's most developed state, Kenya is a strategic economic and transport hub for neighbouring Uganda, Somalia and Ethiopia. That it should endure such developments raises fears in the region that ethnic conflicts like those in Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo could be repeated there.
It is essential that the violence be stopped if such a prospect is to be avoided - and it must be recognised that nothing on such a scale has occurred. But it can only be prevented if outgoing president Mwai Kibaki, who has been declared the election winner, and his opponent Raila Odinga engage in political talks. So far Mr Odinga has refused to do so unless Mr Kibaki steps down. International pressure from the African Union, the European Union and the United States is being urgently applied to get a political dialogue going. It is crucial that this continues.
Even if he stays in office, Mr Kibaki will find it impossible to form a government. Many of his outgoing ministers lost their seats and he has no majority in the parliament. Likewise, it is difficult to see how a political agreement can be reached that is capable of calming the situation if the central issue of whether Mr Kibaki genuinely won the election is not squarely addressed. It would be possible to recount the votes, since observers found that the voting was relatively free and fair. The problems arose when ballots were being counted.
And there is ample evidence that votes for Mr Kibaki in key constituencies were inflated after polling closed to give him his narrow victory, which was then provocatively proclaimed. Most of his support comes from the Kikuyu community while Mr Odinga's comes largely from the Luo and Luhya tribes.
Despite running tension over corruption, how the political spoils of office are distributed and deep inequalities, Kenya has stood out as a peaceful inter-ethnic society of some 42 tribes until these events tarnished that image. But economic growth of six per cent and a booming tourist trade will be affected quickly if the rule of law is not restored.
This crisis will also reopen the issue of constitutional change, on which the two main candidates originally split following the end of Daniel Arap Moi's long period as president.