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Kenyan protesters dead, parliament on fire as thousands storm compound
Protest against new taxes proposed in a controversial finance bill
Police fired on demonstrators trying to storm Kenya’s legislature on Tuesday and at least five protesters were shot dead, with sections of the parliament building set ablaze as lawmakers inside passed a bill to raise taxes.
In chaotic scenes, protesters overwhelmed police and chased them away in an attempt to storm the parliament compound, with Citizen TV reporting protesters had managed to enter the Senate chamber.
Police opened fire after tear gas and water cannons failed to disperse the crowds.
Kenya’s army has been deployed to support the police in controlling the “security emergency,” which has resulted in the “destruction and breaching of critical infrastructure,” Defence Minister Aden Duale said on Tuesday in the official gazette.
A Reuters journalist counted the bodies of at least five protesters outside parliament.
The Kenya Medical Association said in a statement that at least five had been shot dead while treating the injured, saying 31 people had been injured, with 13 shot with live bullets and four with rubber bullets.
The association called on authorities to establish safe medical corridors to protect medical staff and ambulances.
Police eventually managed to drive the protesters from the building amid clouds of tear gas and the sound of gunfire. The lawmakers were evacuated through underground tunnels, local media reported. In Washington, the White House said the United States was closely monitoring the situation in Nairobi and urging calm.
