By Wangui Kanina
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Raila Odinga's party wonthree parliamentary seats on Thursday after by-elections thatwent peacefully despite fears of a repeat of violence seen inthe crisis after Kenya's presidential poll.
The party of President Mwai Kibaki, which formed acoalition government with Odinga in April to end the crisisafter December's vote, won two seats after five by-elections onWednesday, a statement from Kibaki's office said.
International observers were closely watching proceedingsin the first voting in Kenya since Kibaki's disputedre-election sparked violence that killed at least 1,300 people,displaced 300,000 more and paralysed key sectors of theeconomy.
Wednesday's voting and the overnight tallying appeared tohave gone smoothly, although armed police in riot gear withdogs patrolled polling stations in case of trouble.
"I am glad it was peaceful, it looks like Kenya may finallyget back to normal...and it seems this time the ECK seems tohave got its act together," said Grace Muchiri, an auditor.
The Kibaki-Odinga coalition has kept the peace and allowedKenya's economy, the largest in east Africa, to beginrecovering from the impact of a crisis expected to knock aboutthree points off last year's growth figure of 7 percent.
Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) clinched thethree provincial seats of Ainamoi, Wajir North and Emuhaya.
Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) won the Kilgorisseat near the Masai Mara game reserve, and Nairobi's Embakasiconstituency, formerly an ODM stronghold.
ODM and PNU share roughly equal numbers in Kenya'sparliament.
CHAOTIC AFTERMATH
The by-elections were to fill seats where two ODMlegislators were shot dead and another two constituencies thatwere undeclared in the chaotic aftermath of December's vote.
The fifth seat is that of Kenya's parliamentary speaker,who was obliged to resign from his constituency seat aftergetting the speaker's chair.
Another two ODM legislators -- Roads Minister KipkalyaKones and Home Affairs Assistant Minister Lorna Laboso -- werekilled in a plane crash on Tuesday. No plans have yet beenannounced to fill their seats.
Despite the relative peace in the coalition, rival partyofficials have bickered over issues like amnesty for crimes inthe post-election period, and have also had embarrassing publictussles over protocol issues during rallies and ceremonies.
(Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by BrysonHull and Charles Dick)
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