Ten members of parliament and a journalist were injured in western Kenya at the weekend after riot police used force to break up an opposition rally, press reports said Sunday.
Police on Saturday fired teargas at the legislators and a crowd of about 2,000 as they made their way to a rally called by the new opposition Movement for Change party in the town of Eldoret, the papers said.
The rally, which was to be held in the town stadium, was outlawed by police at the last minute for security reasons.
The police cordoned off the town as early as 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) and attacked anyone trying to enter the stadium.
Opposition leader James Orengo and his colleagues fell as they scrambled to get away from the police.
Later, running battles paralyzed the town as police fought thousands of supporters of the movement.
President Daniel arap Moi was just a few kilometers away attending a funeral, prompting claims from the MPs he had personally ordered the police to act against them.
At least five schoolchildren were injured Friday after armed riot police broke up a fundraising meeting called by four dissident MPs of Moi's ruling Kenyan African National Union (KANU), the Sunday Standard newspaper said.
The legislators -- Kipruto arap Kirwa, Cyrus Jirongo, Anthony Kimetto and former cabinet minister Kipkalia Kones -- said they fled to safety by seeking refuge in maize plantations when police tear gassed them and shot in the air.
At least one person was killed and others seriously injured when police broke up the first Movement for Change rally in the Kenyan capital last August.
Western ambassadors strongly protested to the government, and huge rallies have since been held at Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast, Kakamega in the western Kenya and Machakos in the East Province.
Moi however recently ordered police not to license any more such rallies -- an order the organizers maintain is illegal.
They say that under Kenyan law conveners of rallies are not required to apply for a license from the police, but only to inform them that a meeting is to be held in their areas -- NAIROBI (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
