Clashes erupt after discovery of 4 bodies in Nairobi slum

Police sources and Kenyan media said on Sunday that the bodies of three men and a woman had been discovered in the city's Mathare slum, one of several flashpoint areas that were the scene of violence during last month's disputed presidential election rerun, which was largely boycotted by the opposition.

It was not immediately clear how they had died; however, the discovery sparked tensions since three other people had been shot dead by Kenyan police two days earlier when thousands of opposition supporters flooded the streets in a nearby suburb to express support for their leader, Raila Odinga.

"We have launched an investigation into the murders of the four people killed in Mathare Area 1. We are yet to establish how they were killed," a senior police official told AFP.

The official said that angry residents had also set fire to two buses and another vehicle, with police cordoning off the area for security reasons. Kenyan police were forced to use teargas to disperse the crowd in the area.
The dispute over this year's presidential vote has left the country deeply divided and protests between opposition supporters and police have become commonplace.

Odinga has in the past months called on his supporters to stage protests to demand electoral reforms and the dismissal of certain officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission over claims of unfairness and irregularity at the August 8 presidential poll.

On November 20, Kenya's Supreme Court is due to rule whether incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta can be sworn in for a second term or if there must be another rerun.

Human rights groups estimate that some 50 people have lost their lives in election-related violence, the vast majority fatally shot by police.