Nairobi, Kenya — Three private hostels rented by students at the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology were set on fire Monday by rioters, as violence flared again in Kenya, with tribal gangs attacking members of rival communities, in the post-election chaos that has engulfed the East African nation.

The incident occurred in Kakamega, a town in western Kenya, about 250 miles from the capital, Nairobi. Armed with machetes and other crude weapons, the protesters used gasoline to set the buildings ablaze.

The university’s deputy vice chancellor, Sibikike Makhanu, said nobody was hurt during the incident. “The university is still closed, and students should not be worried as the university had built new hostels inside the campus,” he said in a telephone interview. The buildings were owned by a local businessman.

The new chaos has jeopardized plans to reopen the country’s universities soon. All remain closed, and Maseno University, which lies about 30 miles from Masinde Muliro, in Kisumu, has said it might not reopen until April. —Wachira Kigotho