Thousands mourn slain Kenyan opposition MP

By Joseph Sudah

KERICHO, Kenya (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners gathered in western Kenya on Saturday to bury an opposition lawmaker whose murder had triggered more ethnic bloodshed.

The east African country slid into chaos after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed Dec. 27 re-election triggered riots and tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

David Kimutai Too, a newly elected member of parliament for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), was shot dead on Jan. 31 by a traffic policeman in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret.

"Mr Too was assassinated and we will continue to fight for justice even if they kill us," said shoemaker John Kemei, 26. "David's blood won't just go unpunished. We will fight."

Many ODM MPs attended the service, which was held near Too's home in another western town, Kericho. Several men climbed trees to catch a glimpse of the proceedings over the crowd.

Angry protests and pitched battles had erupted in parts of Rift Valley as news of Too's death spread last month.

The authorities called his murder a "crime of passion", and said that the policeman responsible had also shot a fellow officer, thought to be his girlfriend.

ODM leader Raila Odinga has said he believes the killing was a "political act" aimed at cutting ODM's majority in parliament. But he has provided no evidence.