Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Kenyan police maintained a ban on live media broadcasts because of riots sparked by yesterday's disputed presidential election results. At least 104 people died in overnight violence, Agence France-Presse reported.

``In the prevailing environment, some people are using the media to call for violence and to incite members of the public to engage in violence,'' Alfred Mutua, the government's spokesman, said in a statement on the Web site of the Office of Public Communications.

Mwai Kibaki was sworn in yesterday for a second term as Kenya's president after beating his main opponent, Raila Odinga, by 231,728 votes. Odinga rejected the results, alleging fraud, while international observers expressed concern that there were ``irregularities'' in vote counting.

At least 64 people were killed in the western town of Kisumu as opposition supporters clashed with police and rival ethnic groups, Agence France-Presse reported, citing police officials. A curfew has been imposed in the town, it said. In Nairobi, 40 people died, AFP said.

The latest killings bring to 124 the number of people who have died in election-related violence since the Dec. 27 election, the news agency said.

Police cordoned off Nairobi's main Uhuru Park and prevented Odinga's supporters from attending an alternative inauguration planned by the opposition leader. Police also maintained a heavy presence around government buildings adjacent to the park, while shops in the center of the city remained closed for a fifth day.

`Serious Problems'

The U.S. government condemned the violence, while saying it was concerned by ``serious problems'' during the vote-counting process. The U.S. cited turnouts of close to 100 percent in some constituencies, discrepancies in the numbers of votes reported for candidates, the apparent manipulation of some election reporting documents and long delays in announcing results.

``The anomalies and allegations heightened concerns and tensions on both sides and among voters given the closeness of the election,'' the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said in an e-mailed statement today.

The U.S. is withholding acknowledgement of any results until questions are resolved about the conduct of the election, State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters in Washington today. The questions should be resolved ``through constitutional and legal means,'' he said.

The State Department issued a travel alert warning American citizens to ``strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time.''

``The situation in Kenya is volatile and subject to change,'' the department said in the notice sent by e-mail.

Offer to Mediate

A group of Christian leaders, known as the Kenya Church, offered to mediate in the dispute over the election results.

They urged politicians to ``work through their differences and facilitate a speedy, peaceful and amicable solution to the current situation,'' according to a statement read by William Tuimising, bishop of the Deliverance Church, in Nairobi today.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said the electoral process that brought Kibaki to power was ``deeply flawed and devoid of credibility'' and blamed the Electoral Commission of Kenya for the wave of violence.

``The ECK handled the elections tallying process irresponsibly and are squarely culpable for the deteriorating state of security in the country,'' the Nairobi-based human rights group said in an e-mailed statement today.

It also criticized the government's clampdown on the media.

``By muzzling the only source of information to the public, the media, the government is encouraging rumors, innuendos, hearsay and suspicion in an already polarized country,'' it said.

Kenya is East Africa's biggest economy and the world's largest black-tea exporter.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 31, 2007 16:50 EST