At least eight people have been shot dead by police after hundreds of protesters stormed Kenya’s parliament, News.Az reports citing The Telegraph.
The demonstrators broke through police barricades on Tuesday and stormed the country’s parliament complex in Nairobi as politicians inside passed legislation to raise taxes.Police used live bullets as they attempted to chase protesters away from the building, wounding around 50 people, according to reports.
Hundreds of MPs took cover in the basement of parliament as local TV showed footage of sections of the building on fire and badly damaged.
The protesters oppose tax rises in a country already reeling from a cost of living crisis – but many are also calling for William Ruto, the country’s president, to step down.
Rallies led by young people, largely in their 20s, began last week against the proposed taxes.
The demonstrations had been largely peaceful and over the weekend Mr Ruto said he was ready to talk to the protesters.
Yet tensions escalated on Tuesday afternoon, as crowds began to throw stones at police and push back against barricades, making their way towards the parliament complex, which was sealed off by riot officers.
When water cannons and tear gas failed to disperse the crowds, police then opened fire with live ammunition.
The cash-strapped government agreed last week to roll back several tax increases, including on bread and car purchases.
But Mr Ruto’s administration said it still intended to raise some taxes, saying they are necessary for filling the state coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing.
#Protesters in #Kenya stormed the #parliament building, where a vote had just taken place on the draft budget, taking into account tax increases. pic.twitter.com/TcxOVlalh9
— News.Az (@news_az) June 25, 2024
