From correspondents in Eldoret | February 01, 2008
TWO people were killed overnight during demonstrations in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, after violence flared once again following the death of an opposition lawmaker, police said.
"Two people were killed in Eldoret in the demonstrations but police are trying to establish what happened," a police commander said, after earlier reporting six injured in battles with demonstrators.
A mortuary attendant said they had received three bodies, including that of the slain lawmaker and a policewoman who was shot with him.
"We have received three bodies: of the MP, the policewoman and of a rioter who was killed by a bullet," he said.
It was unclear if the third body was one of the dead reported by police.
Police said David Kimutai Too from opposition leader Raila Odinga's opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was killed by a traffic policeman, describing the incident as a crime of passion unrelated to the recent political violence.
But violent clashes soon erupted in the western town and nearby Kericho and Kisumu, with police firing tear gas on protesters who were blocking roads and lighting fires.
Police moved in earlier to disperse demonstrators who had erected illegal checkpoints along the main road to the capital Nairobi.
Protesters also razed part of Nyagacho slums on the outskirts of western town of Kericho, near the hometown of the slain lawmaker.
"The situation here is gloomy," said one Kericho resident.
"There is smoke all over the town, shops have been ordered closed and people told to go home and stay indoors. Schools have been closed. There is sporadic shooting everywhere and people are scared," the resident said.
Police also fired tear gas canisters to disperse hundreds of protectors in the ODM stronghold of Kisumu.
Mr Odinga said the killing of the MP was part of a plot to slash the number of opposition lawmakers in parliament, but police commissioner Major Mohamed Hussein Ali said the motive did not appear to be political.
"We are urging people to remain calm and leaders should avoid speculating on the cause of the MP's death. Already the culprit has been arrested and will be arraigned in court tomorrow," Major Ali said.
Nearly 1000 people have been killed in rioting and tribal fighting that have gripped the east African nation since President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected after disputed December 27 polls. Mr Odinga accuses Mr Kibaki of stealing his way to victory.