Valentine's Day is usually a major pay-day for Kenyan flower growers - they earn more then and on Mother's Day than the rest of the year combined - but this year they could struggle because of violence since the disputed presidential election in late December.
In the lakeside town of Naivasha, flower farms, which make Kenya the biggest supplier to Europe, are in overdrive in the run-up to Valentine's Day.
But there is nothing normal this year for Naivasha's army of flower-workers who are still in shock from an explosion of violence in their town.
Like some other parts of Kenya's Rift Valley, Naivasha erupted into ethnic clashes at the end of January, as a post-election dispute spread violence round the nation.
The violence began after opposition leader and Luo, Raila Odinga, rejected Mr Kibaki's win.
The dispute set Kikuyus of President Mwai Kibaki's community against pro-opposition Luos and others from west Kenya who had come to live and work in Naivasha. Many fled, but 1,000 mainly Luos now live in this guarded camp set up by the Red Cross.
A union of flower workers estimates as many as 3,000 people, mainly Luos, have left the farms due to the violence.
Growers have been recruiting day workers to catch up with picking for the Valentine's Day rush.
Millions of flowers are cut each day, sent in sealed and cooled containers to Nairobi airport and then flown to Western florists and supermarkets. Kenya’s flower sector earned an estimated €480m in 2006.
This week, lines of labourers could be seen waiting outside some of at least 50 flower farms in Naivasha.
The precision needed in the industry, which can move a rose bud from the field to a shelf in Europe within 48 hours, means there is little margin for error.
The Kenyan crisis, which has killed more than 1,000 people, displaced 300,000 and spooked foreign investors, is the biggest challenge Kenya's horticultural industry has faced.
Horticulture is the country's second-biggest foreign exchange earner, employing 100,000 people directly.
Small flower businesses have been hardest hit by the violence, which has led to increased absenteeism among workers. Larger ones have so far been less badly affected because they often house employees on site.
Yesterday a British government minister urged people to choose Kenyan roses for Valentines Day to support the industry.
