Nairobi: At least eight people were killed in fresh clashes in Kenya, police and aid agencies said on Friday.

"As we talk, Nakuru town has been shut down ... My staff have carried three dead bodies and hundreds are injured in hospital," Kenya Red Cross head Abbas Gullet said.

In Molo district, five people were hacked to death, said a police commander. At least 50,000 people were also displaced in the area, the Red Cross said.

Violence has continued to escalate weeks after the disputed December 27 elections.

Police commander Everette Wasige said officers have been deployed to help restore order in the area, especially in Nakuru where tension remained high.

Witnesses said arsonists had razed scores of houses there overnight, and used piles of large stones and overturned carts to form roadblocks on some streets Friday morning.

"There is chaos in town and we have deployed our officers there. The situation is not very good because we have some casualties," Wasige said.