Reuters AlertNet Lite - Kenya govt denies inciting violence in slum

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Kenya govt denies inciting violence in slum

19 Dec 2006 16:26:42 GMT
Source: Reuters

NAIROBI, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Kenya's government denied on Tuesday it was behind a slum gang clash in which three people were killed over a planned political rally by the former leader of a banned cult who is running for parliament.

Rioting broke out in Kibera, east Africa's largest slum, on Sunday after police moved in to quell a standoff between supporters of former Mungiki sect leader Ndura Waruinge and a gang opposed to his political gathering.

Police said Waruinge, a member of the Kikuyu tribe who plans to run in next year's general election for the parliament seat held by presidential hopeful Raila Odinga, had been arrested.

Odinga, a Luo who has made a political career out of criticising the government and has been accused by rivals of inflaming tribal divisions in the past, had said President Mwai Kibaki was aware of the plan.

He said the violence in Kibera -- a sprawling hillside of tin-roof shacks overlooking Nairobi National Park which is in his constituency -- was provoked by agents of the state.

"The government disputes claims that there was a "hidden arm" of the government in arranging the meeting," government spokesman Alfred Mutua told a news conference.

Scores of people on Sunday engaged in hours of running battles with each other and exchanged gunfire with the police, who fired teargas and shot in the air to disperse the crowds.

Waruinge is the former head of Kenya's outlawed Mungiki sect, a group that ostensibly espouses a return to traditional beliefs of the Kikuyu tribe.

Assistant Internal Security Minister Peter Munya said Waruinge had been arrested for organising an illegal meeting.

"The key organiser of the illegal rally ... is helping the police with investigations," he said, adding that police had not been informed about the planned rally.

"(Internal Security Minister) John Michuki was not at all involved in the skirmishes as it is alleged by some politicians," he added. He said Waruinge would appear in court when investigations were complete.

Kenya, east Africa's largest economy, is considered stable by regional standards, but political violence is still common and has heated up as the election nears.

The Kikuyu and Luo, Kenya's largest and third-largest tribes respectively, have a rivalry over political spoils stretching back to Kenya's independence from Britain in 1963.

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Last updated:Tue Dec 19 16:28:04 2006