The five died in the capital’s Huruma, Babadogo and Mathare slums where feuding tribes clashed late into the night, bringing to 50 the number of deaths over the past six days, police and witnesses said.

The police said the fighting and revenge killings raged between members of pro-Kibaki tribes and those supporting Opposition chief Raila Odinga, who claims he was robbed of victory in the December 27 presidential polls. Several houses were razed as hundreds stampeded out of shantytowns that have been divided into tribal blocs.

Three days of Opposition protests that began on Wednesday provoked a fierce crackdown by anti-riot and paramilitary police, and some unarmed civilians were shot down in the capital and the western city of Kisumu.
The political rioting morphed into tribal killings and looting, mainly in the capital’s crowded slums and areas in the country’s western region where the political crisis has exacerbated long-running tribal feuds.

Overnight clashes left two dead in Huruma, one in Babadogo and two in Mathare, where police commander Paul Ruto said 12 people had been arrested following the violence.

Patrol

Riot police continued to patrol major towns as well as the volatile rural areas across the country, as Opposition supporters remained in a defiant mood.
“The struggle is still on until justice prevails,” Odinga said in the town of Kakamega, on his first visit to western Opposition strongholds since the  elections.