Three people have died in Kenya after clashes between police and residents of one of Africa’s largest slums on Sunday.
Police were deployed to the sprawling Kibera slum, which houses an estimated 800 000 people, after a political rally became unruly, with opposing sides pelting each other with stones and some forcing a passing train to grind to a halt.
It was unclear who shot at the crowd. The independent Daily Nation newspaper said on Monday some of the rally attendees were armed.
Of the four people shot in the clashes, three had died by late on Sunday night. The fourth person was said to be in serious condition in hospital.
The rally was called in support of Ndura Waruinge, a leader of the banned Mungiki sect, who is looking to run in Kenya’s elections next year.
Mungiki gang members are engaged in turf wars with other ethnic-based gangs in Nairobi’s slums over control of alcohol, water and other cartels.
The Kenyan capital’s slums are notoriously dangerous. At least 8 people were killed and thousands forced to flee the shanty towns last month because of gang fighting. — Sapa-dpa