Two young boys were killed in clashes between demonstrators and police in western Kenya on Saturday in the latest violence in the run-up to a referendum on Kenya's proposed new constitution, Reuters reported. The violence, in which dozens of people were injured, broke out during a rally led by Information and Communication Minister Raphael Tuju, a proponent of the proposed charter, in Kisumu, a town on Lake Victoria that is a stronghold of the "No" camp. The referendum campaign has deepened divisions in President Mwai Kibaki's coalition and led to violence in east Africa's most developed nation ahead of the Nov. 21 vote. The two boys, aged eight and 10, were shot dead on Saturday as "No" supporters clashed with police in the streets and around the stadium where the rally was held, hospital officials said. "It is very unfortunate that these young boys succumbed to live bullet wounds. We are doing everything possible to make sure that more deaths are not recorded," said Dr. John Obondi, superintendent of the Nyanza Provincial Hospital. At least 24 people were seriously injured, four of whom were in intensive care, he said. Ten people were admitted to another Kisumu hospital, officials said. --More 2244 Local Time 1944 GMT
