At least five people have been shot dead and thirty-one people injured during protests in Kenya on Tuesday over proposed tax hikes according to the Kenya Medical Association.
Kenyan police shot one protester near parliament, as reported by a rights group. AFP journalists saw three people lying motionless on the ground as crowds opposed to the tax hikes breached barricades and entered the parliamentary complex, where a fire erupted.
The protests, mainly led by Gen-Z, began last week and have caught the government off guard. President William Ruto mentioned over the weekend that he was ready to talk to the protesters.
However, tensions escalated sharply on Tuesday afternoon when crowds started throwing stones at police and pushing back against barricades towards the parliament complex, which was sealed off by police in full riot gear.
Police fired at the crowds outside the parliament building, where lawmakers were debating a contentious bill with tax hike proposals. The Kenya Human Rights Commission stated, “Police have shot four protesters, as witnessed by KHRC, killing one.”
Irungu Houghton, the executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, told AFP, “Human rights observers are now reporting the increasing use of live bullets by the National Police Service in the capital of Nairobi. Safe passage for medical officers to treat the many wounded is now urgent.”
Anger over the cost-of-living crisis led to nationwide rallies last week, with demonstrators demanding the finance bill be scrapped.
Despite a heavy police presence, thousands of protesters marched through Nairobi’s business district, pushing back against barricades as they headed towards parliament. Police in full riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, as reported by AFP journalists.
As protesters advanced towards parliament, many livestreamed the action, singing, chanting, and beating drums. Crowds also marched in other cities, including the port city of Mombasa, the opposition bastion of Kisumu, and Ruto’s stronghold of Eldoret, according to images on Kenyan TV channels.
