Several dead in storming of Kenyan parliament by tax opponents

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Several people were killed when thousands of demonstrators stormed the Kenyan parliament on Tuesday to protest against the government’s tax proposals.

Part of the building burned down, causing the MPs to flee and draw fire from the police. Riots broke out, which the president vowed to suppress.

It was the most direct attack on the government in decades. At least three bodies were seen outside the complex where police opened fire, and medical personnel said five people were dead.

The clashes spread to other cities. There were initially no reports of arrests.

“Today’s events mark a critical turning point in our response to threats to our national security,” said President William Ruto, who described the events as a “betrayal” and vowed to quell the unrest “at all costs.”

Kenya’s defence minister said the military had been deployed to support police during the “security emergency” and “intrusion into critical infrastructure”.

Frustration with the cost of living

The protesters demanded that parliamentarians vote against a finance bill that would impose new taxes on East Africa’s economic hub, where frustration over the high cost of living is widespread.

The youth who voted Ruto into office on his promises of economic relief took to the streets to protest against the torture of the reforms.

The MPs passed the bill before fleeing through a tunnel as protesters outmaneuvered police and poured into the building. The fire in the building was later extinguished.

The Kenya Medical Association said in a statement that at least five people were fatally shot while attempting to treat the injured at the scene of the accident. More than 30 people were injured, at least 13 by live ammunition.

Police fired live ammunition and lobbed tear gas grenades at protesters seeking treatment at a medical tent in a nearby church. Elsewhere in the city, Kenyatta National Hospital reported 45 injured.

Internet service in the country slowed noticeably, causing what NetBlocks called a “significant disruption,” and at least one broadcaster issued a statement saying, “We have received threats from the authorities to shut us down.”

Ruto was out of Nairobi attending an African Union meeting. He is due to sign the finance bill this week. He has two weeks to act, but religious and other leaders are urging him to reconsider.

The nearby office of the governor of Nairobi, a member of the ruling party, also burned briefly on Tuesday. Smoke billowed from the white facade. Police used water cannons to fight the fire.

Protesters could be heard shouting: “We are coming to get every politician.”

The Kenya Human Rights Commission released a video showing police shooting at protesters and called on Ruto to immediately issue an order to “stop the killings.”

Instead, the president said the government had “mobilized all resources” to restore order.

Protests are spreading

While crowds of demonstrators streamed through the streets on Tuesday, protests also broke out elsewhere in the country – including in the presidential city of Naivasha, where demonstrators chanted “Ruto must go”.

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Protesters attempted to storm the State House in the western city of Nakuru, a witness said. Clashes broke out in the western lakeside city of Kisumu. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city, joined the protesters outside his office and expressed his support.

Protesters burned down ruling party offices in Embu in central Kenya, the Nation newspaper reported. Citizen TV showed footage from Nyeri in central Kenya of police confronting protesters in the smoking streets.

At a national gathering of Catholic bishops, police were urged not to attack protesters and the government was asked to address citizens’ grief over “unjustified” taxes. “The country is bleeding… families are suffering immensely,” they said.