Kenyan lawmaker shot and killed by masked gunmen

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A masked gunman shot and killed a Kenyan lawmaker early Saturday on a street in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, a senior police official said.

The lawmaker, George Muchai, was killed alongside his two bodyguards and a driver after they stopped to buy a newspaper from a vendor on Nairobi's main street, according to Nairobi Central Police Chief Paul Wanjama.

The killings are likely to stoke insecurity fears in Kenya, which has also been dealing with occasional terrorist attacks mounted by Islamic militants seeking revenge over Kenyan military involvement in neighboring Somalia.

Police said no suspects had been arrested yet over the killing of Muchai, who was a well-known trade unionist and a member of Kenya's ruling coalition.

Muchai had been attending a family gathering and was believed to be on his way home when he came under attack. The gunman stole a briefcase Muchai was carrying as well as the bodyguards' two pistols, then entered a getaway car that was being driven by another man, Wanjama said.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in a statement that Kenya "is bleeding and an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness is spreading" across the country.

"Our citizens need reassurance that they can go about their daily routines without fear and that the government has the will and ability to provide protection," the statement added.