Kenyan police killed as election day arrives

Officers hacked to death by mob near Mombasa, say officials, as authorities try to stop bloody mayhem of 2007 happening again

At least four Kenyan police officers, deployed to keep the peace in a tense presidential election, have been hacked to death by a gang before polling stations opened on Monday, a senior officer said.

The attackers, who struck a patrol near the port city of Mombasa, could not immediately be identified, but Ambrose Munyasia, chief of police intelligence in the Coast area, said he suspected they were linked to a regional separatist movement.

The Kenyan authorities have worked hard to ensure a peaceful vote to restore Kenya's image as one of Africa's most stable democracies. Candidates have appealed for a calm election.

"Our officers who were on night patrol were attacked by a gang of youths wielding machetes and as a result four of the officers were killed. Two among the dead are senior officers who were overseeing the patrol," Munyasia said.

Julius Marwa, district commissioner in the area of Mombasa, had earlier reported the attack on the police patrol, saying it had occurred in the region of Changamwe, a few kilometres outside the port city.

The election has been pegged as the country's most important and complicated in its 50-year history. Five years ago more than 1,000 people were killed in election-related violence.

Police said late on Sunday that criminals were planning to dress in police uniforms and disrupt voting in some locations, while Somali militants may be planning to launch attacks, and other tribal and political groups posed a potential threat.

Uhuru Kenyatta, one of two top candidates for president, faces charges at the international criminal court of orchestrating the 2007-08 post-election violence. He is up against Raila Odinga, whose father was the country's first vice-president.

Nearly 100,000 police officers will be on duty during an election in which 14 million people are expected to vote. Kenyans will also be electing new members of parliament, governors and other officials.