Kenya's police have clashed with protesters on the second day of opposition protests against last month's disputed elections.

Tear gas was fired at hundreds of demonstrators in Nairobi's Mathare slum, reports Reuters news agency.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has told the BBC that the international community should impose sanctions.

He says that he was cheated of victory by President Mwai Kibaki. The European Parliament is to vote on an aid freeze.

On the first day of the protests on Wednesday, at least three people were killed.

The police have banned all public protests. More than 600 people have died in violence since Kibaki was declared the victor.

Odinga is demanding a recount of the vote, saying he will stop disputing the result if it shows Kibaki won.

He also said he was prepared to join a transitional coalition government under President Kibaki to organize a new presidential election within three or six months.

Live rounds

In the western opposition stronghold of Kisumu, two people were killed on Wednesday, when police broke up a rally of up to 1,000 demonstrators.

In an unconfirmed post to the BBC News website, a reader in the south-western town of Mbita Point said three people had been killed there in clashes with police.

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) tried to lead some demonstrators to Nairobi's central Uhuru (Freedom) Park but were blocked by riot police firing tear gas.

Unconfirmed reports from the city's Kibera slum suggest three protesters suffered gunshot wounds during demonstrations.

"We are determined to continue with the fight," one of Odinga's top allies, William Ruto, told reporters.

"We will not allow Kibaki to make this country a dictatorship."

Police also broke up rallies in Eldoret, in the Rift Valley area worst hit by violence, and in the coastal resort of Mombasa and other towns.

UN aid appeal

The UN has launched a $34m humanitarian appeal for Kenya, to help those affected by the violence following the disputed election.

A quarter of a million people have left their homes and 6,000 have fled to neighboring Uganda.

Kenya was one of Africa's thriving economies and its bread basket has traditionally been the Rift Valley, where maize is grown, but the tribal violence there is affecting the country's ability to feed itself.

Sir John Holmes, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the money the UN was seeking over the next six months would be mainly used for food aid.

"We then have an item of some $6.5m for emergency shelter, so the idea of this is to provide basic tents, plastic sheeting, for up to 100,000 people," he explained.

 PHOTO CAPTION

A supporter of Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga taunts a policeman during a demonstration in the streets of Kisumu. [AFP]

BBC