Report: Gang members killed in Kenyan protests

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- At least 11 members of a Kenyan gang were killed Monday in a confrontation with police following protests in the capital city of Nairobi and other parts of the country, local media reported.

The Mungiki gang set up roadblocks and burned cars to protest the suspicious killing of their imprisoned leader's wife. Truckloads of police intervened, wielding batons and firing tear gas and live ammunition to clear the streets of protesters.

The unrest came a day after President Mwai Kibaki implemented a power-sharing agreement with opposition leader Raila Odinga. The deal was intended to end several weeks of chaos and violence in the once-stable country that followed the disputed December 27 election.

More than 1,000 people were killed and another 300,000 driven from their homes in fighting that took on ethnic overtones.

The Mungiki militia, who are loyal to President Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, has been accused of carrying out some of the killings. It started as a religious sect, but over the years has morphed into a gang that runs protection rackets -- particularly in the slums.

On Monday, the gang members demonstrated in the capital city, Nairobi, and several others across the country. Local media reported that gang members burned up to 40 cars in one section of the capital.

"Mungiki are a real threat," said Police Commander Joseph Migwi. "It's creating fear in the people. Vehicles aren't traveling and people aren't moving. They are playing hide-and-seek with us."

Migwi, who spoke to CNN at a township in Nairobi that houses a slum, said he had not noticed any dead bodies. But, he added, "they will die later from the injuries."

The bodies of Mungiki leader's wife and her driver were found in a forest last Wednesday. Her throat had been slit; the driver was bludgeoned to death, according to media reports. Watch Mungiki gang violence »

Family members allege that police killed the pair. Last year, the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights blamed the police of more than 400 "extra judicial" killing of Kikuyu males during a crackdown on the Mungiki gang for extortion and other violent acts.

Police said the killing of the pair could be connected to gang members fighting for control among themselves after leader Maina Njenga was sentenced to a five-year jail term on drug charges. E-mail to a friend

All About Kenya • Protests and Demonstrations • Civil Unrest • Africa