NAIROBI: One protester was shot dead in western Kenya on Friday as anger raged a day after an election boycotted by the opposition and marred by violence, taking the death toll to six.
Angry opposition supporters took to the streets of their leader Raila Odinga's strongholds in the western towns of Bungoma, Homa Bay and Migori, to protest plans to repeat the ballot there on Saturday after violence blocked voting on election day.
In Bungoma, contradictory accounts emerged over the killing of one protester.
"People were running away from police and that is when they started shooting and he fell down and started bleeding heavily," said witness Maurice Wafula.
"We are not voting and it is our right to demonstrate, they should not kill us."
But local police chief Moses Nyakwama said the man had tried to grab a gun from a policeman.
"Police responded to quell the protests but a police officer was cornered by the youths and one tried to grab the firearm. That's when he was unfortunately shot dead," he said.
Authorities were not immediately able to retrieve the body due to chaos after the shooting.
In Homa Bay, a man shot during clashes on voting day on Thursday succumbed to his injuries.
"It is unfortunate we have lost him. He succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment," said Meshack Liru, chief executive at the main Homa Bay hospital.
On Thursday four protesters were killed, one in Homa Bay, two in the Kisumu area and another in Nairobi's Mathare slum.