Kenyan opposition MP shot dead
BayBak, Azerbaijan | Tuesday, 29th January , 2008 , 10:23 [am] | International
 |
. | Police said that they were not ruling out “political motives” connected to the disputed presidential elctions on December 27 in the killing of Mugabe Were, an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) politician.
Police said that two men shot Were as the politician drove up to the gates of his home in the Woodley district just after midnight, then fled the scene. |
Kenyan opposition politician has been shot dead outside his home in the capital, Nairobi, instigating further unrest.
Police said that they were not ruling out “political motives” connected to the disputed presidential elctions on December 27 in the killing of Mugabe Were, an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) politician.
Police said that two men shot Were as the politician drove up to the gates of his home in the Woodley district just after midnight, then fled the scene.
Julius Ndegwa, the Nairobi area chief, said: “We have launched investigations.
“The two criminals who shot him did not steal the car or anything else.”
Tony Gachoka, an ODM spokesman, said: “He was shot at his house. The current situation makes one suspicious. All fingers will point at the government, and the government will have to show it is not involved.”
Police fired tear gas at mourners who gathered at Were’s home and allegedly taunted officers.
‘Not a political murder’
Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege, in Nairobi, said that the police had told her that they are not treating this as a political murder. Instead they say one of the city’s frequent violent crimes, such as a car jacking, may have led to the death.
However, she added: “As a consequence of this there has been some fighting taking place in Kibera - one of the biggest slums in Africa and an opposition stronghold - where people on the ground have reported seeing at least two bodies.
“In Mr Were’s constituency, called Embakasi, there is a lot of tension. Apparently rowdy youths have been gathering in the market and several kiosks have been burned.”
Salim Lone, another ODM spokesman, had appealed for calm: “Let’s call again on people to be peaceful and to only respond to this kind of violence by shunning violence.”
Were won a seat in the December 27 legislative vote, held at the same time as presidential elections.
Tribal fighting
President Mwai Kibaki was declared victorious in the presidential elections, a disputed result which has led to upsurges of violence around the country, particularly in the Rift Valley province.
Soldiers moved into the town of Naivasha in the province in western Kenya the day before in an attempt to quell tribal fighting that has cost dozens of lives.
Katee Mwanza, the district commissioner, said at least 22 people had been killed in the Naivasha area in ethnic clashes over the past two days, with police saying at least five were burned to death.
Reports said that people’s homes were ransacked and burned in Naivasha on Tuesday.
Ndege said that there had been very little progress on negotiations between the government and opposition, with both sides being overly angry and the government holding fears of being manipulated.aljazeera
, Voice of a Nation
Share This | Print
- 28/01/2008 Fighting spreads in western Kenya
- 06/01/2008 Kenya Opposition Rejects Unity Government; Calls for Kibaki to Step Down
- 21/02/2008 Kenya ‘at risk of fresh violence’
- 17/01/2008 Kenya police shoot amid protests
- 06/01/2008 UN food aid targets Kenya crisis
- 28/12/2007 Observers Keep Close Eye on Kenya Vote
- 28/01/2008 Eight shot dead in Beirut opposition protests
- 22/11/2007 Russian opposition election candidate shot
- 29/12/2007 Bhutto party accuses government
- 01/01/2008 Pakistani opposition against delaying polls for long
No Comments
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
azeribaybak[at]gmail.com