Scores of people were injured in Kenya's Kibera informal settlement area on Friday after a stampede erupted as thousands of residents gathered to receive food donations.

The desperate residents gathered at a district office to get food donated by former prime minister Raila Odinga to cushion them from hunger amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation reportedly got out of hand and a brief stampede ensued.

Pictures shared on social media show people covered in blood after the stampede, but authorities are yet to announce numbers of the injured or of any possible fatalities.

Kibera is home to thousands of poor people who depend on manual jobs for a living.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has put their sources of livelihood at risk as the government imposed a night curfew and partial travel restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.

The measures have been credited with helping slow down the spread of COVID-19, but have also in turn disrupted income and affected commodity prices.

Kenya is one of 52 African countries that have reported cases of COVID-19. The East African country has recorded 189 cases and 7 deaths. 22 patients have successfully recovered.

Africa has reported close to 11,000 COVID-19 cases, with over 500 deaths. Over 1,000 people have recovered.