Drums and dancing greet Kenya opposition leader

By Guled Mohamed

KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Fanatical supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga banged drums, danced and blew whistles on Monday as the former political prisoner returned to his western stronghold of Kisumu.

The veteran politician is fighting the toughest battle of his turbulent career to try to win back what he considers his stolen victory in December 27 polls, a disputed vote which saw President Mwai Kibaki re-elected.

Nowhere is his backing more fierce than in Kisumu, an industrial town perched on the edge of Lake Victoria in Nyanza province near where he was born.

So rapturous was his welcome back after three weeks of violence across the nation that the ceremony he attended for those killed in the unrest turned into a political rally.

Police have crushed previous efforts to hold rallies in the flashpoint town with an iron fist, shooting dead scores of demonstrators -- many of them as they tried to flee.

"This was supposed to be a mourning ceremony but it seems Raila's homecoming has overshadowed the funeral service here," said Terry Sylvenas, a 40-year-old mother-of-two.

"People are dancing their hearts out and praising Raila."

More than 650 people have died across Kenya and a quarter of a million have been displaced since the vote in some of the worst unrest in living memory. Kisumu -- Kenya's third largest city -- has been among the hardest hit.