(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-04 10:02

NAIROBI - At least 13 people have been killed in western Kenya bringing the death toll so far since fresh violence erupted in the area on Friday to more than 40.

The violence continued despite Friday's agreement by government and opposition on a framework peace plan.

Residents at the border Rift Valley and Nyanza said some were killed by police, others were hacked to death by gangs or shot with poisoned arrows. The latest developments came as a church was burnt down by youths near the Rift Valley town of Eldoret.

A Pentecostal church in Eldoret was burned on Saturday. The pastor's nephew, Peter Ndungu, said the church was burned because his aunt was from Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe could not confirm the death toll but said gangs with machetes and arrows were facing off in the western town of Sotik, and residents said the smoke billowed into the sky from burning houses.

This came as young men from the rival Kalenjin, Kikuyu and Kisii tribes hunted each other through the streets of another western town, Eldoret, burning houses and blocking roads.

Kiraithe said scores others were injured and about 200 houses set on fire during the clashes.

The area remained volatile hours after local leaders held a meeting with residents to try and defuse the ensuing tension.

"Police have been deployed at the borders and are conducting operations to guard the remaining buildings round the clock, and defuse the tension," Kiraithe said by telephone on Sunday.

He said the police chiefs in Nyanza and Rift Valley provinces carried out joint operations over the weekend in a bid to quell the violence that erupted last week.

Representatives of President Mwai Kibaki and Opposition Leader Raila Odinga signed a framework agreement which aims to end bloodshed in the aftermath of December 's disputed elections.

The agreement calls for illegal militias to be disbanded and for investigation of all crimes connected to the violence, including those allegedly committed by the police, who have killed scores of people.

But analysts said the deal could be derailed as both men who signed Friday's deal were still talking tough. Kibaki accused his opponents of orchestrating the violence while Odinga said Kibaki 's "aggressive statements" were undermining efforts to quell the fighting.

Despite the deal, police said property worth millions of shillings was also destroyed at Chebilat border town when business and residential premises were burned during the day-long fighting.

Nearly 900 people have been killed and 300,000 others displaced by the fighting which erupted after announcement of President Kibaki's re-election.