Three people were killed and 20 more wounded when youths armed with bows and arrows disrupted an opposition by-election campaign rally in western Kenya at the weekend, press reports said Monday.
The attackers, said to be ruling Kenya African National Union-National Development Party (KANU-NDP) youths, burst into the meeting, in the Gucha district of South Mugirango constituency, and started shooting arrows at supporters of the Ford-Kenya party.
As the crowd of over 5,000 scattered in panic, the attackers pursued people into surrounding maize plantations and brutally beat them. Six opposition members of parliament fled, the reports said.
Soon afterwards, the crowd regrouped and counter-attacked, hacking some of the attackers to death.
A squad of about 20 policemen watched from a distance as the battle raged for nearly 20 minutes, only moving in when a man was killed near the platform.
Five of the victims were rushed to the nearby Tabaka Mission Hospital with arrows sticking out of their bodies.
The violence raised tensions in the area ahead of President Daniel arap Moi's scheduled tour of the constituency to address campaign rallies in support of KANU candidate David Kombo.
By-elections in South Mugirango and Kapenguria constituency in the Rift Valley, left vacant by the death late last year in South Africa of former energy minister Francis Lotodo from throat cancer, are scheduled to be held next Friday -- NAIROBI (AFP)
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