Kenyan opposition politician is shot dead at roadblock

AN opposition MP was shot and killed by a police officer in Kenya's Rift Valley today – the second to be killed this week in the violence sweeping the country.

David Too was shot by the officer at a road block as he was travelling from Nairobi to the city of Eldoret by car.

The Rift Valley has seen some of the worst mob violence since trouble erupted last month.

Mr Too's death came as both sides in Kenya's deadly election dispute met for the first time and the head of the Africa Union said the violence was turning into genocide.

The top US diplomat for Africa also said today that she believed a month of violence that has killed more than 800 people has descended into ethnic cleansing.

"Kenya is a country that was a hope for the continent," African Union chairman Alpha Konare told a conference in neighbouring Ethiopia. "Today, if you look at Kenya you see violence on the streets. We are even talking about ethnic cleansing, We are even talking about genocide. We cannot sit with our hands folded."

Opposition leader Raila Odinga's party, which rejects President Mwai Kibaki's re-election as rigged, had tried to prevent him from attending, appealing to the 52-nation bloc not to recognise him.