RIGHT NOW: Full chaos in Nairobi

Nairobi

Violent protests in Kenya: five people dead

Ellen Sundstrom

Updated 16.27 | Published 16.14

Violent protests have broken out in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Several hundred have been injured and five people have died.

Police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds throwing stones at security forces in Nairobi, witnesses said, according to Reuters. The attempts failed, and protesters chased the police away and were able to enter the parliament building at 2pm Swedish time.

"We want to shut down parliament and every member of parliament should resign," one protester, Davis Tafari, told Reuters earlier in the day as he tried to enter parliament, and continued:

- We will have a new government.

Another protester says they are "past the conversation stage", according to the AFP news agency.

- We demand an end to police violence, respect for our constitutional rights and freedom to raise our voices without fear of arrest or harm, says the protester.

Burning in Parliament

The Kenyan newspaper Nation reports that police fired live shots at protesters outside parliament. They also state that there is a fire in part of the parliament.

 

 

 

Protesters carry a body after the riots in Nairobi.

1 / 3Photo: Andrew Kasuku / AP

Protests and clashes also took place in several other cities and towns across the country. Images of burning cars, grocery stores and other buildings are being spread on social media.

The office of the United Democratic Alliance party is on fire in the town of Embu, according to the Nation.

Tax increases

Thousands of protesters, mainly young people and students, took to the streets on Tuesday to show their displeasure with parliament's proposed tax increases.

- We are peaceful, shout the protesters according to AFP.

The publisher was voted through despite the protests, but now it also needs to be approved by the country's president, William Ruto.

The country is already struggling with high living costs, and many want to see Ruto step down.

The government has already passed more concessions, including promising to scrap proposed taxes on bread, cooking oil, owning a car and financial transactions. However, it has not been enough to calm the Protestants.

Protests and clashes also took place in several other cities and towns across the country. Images of burning cars, grocery stores and other buildings are being spread on social media.

The office of the United Democratic Alliance party is on fire in Embu town, according to the Nation.
Tax increases

Thousands of protesters, mainly young people and students, took to the streets on Tuesday to show their displeasure with parliament's proposed tax increases.

- We are peaceful, shout the protesters according to AFP.

The publisher was voted through despite the protests, but now it also needs to be approved by the country's president, William Ruto.

 

 

1 / 5 

Photo: Brian Inganga / AP

Parliament in flames - protesters shot dead

TT-AFP

Updated 16.23 | Published 11.13

 

 

Protesters carry away a man injured during Tuesday's protests.
1 / 3Photo: Brian Inganga/AP/TT

Police have fired sharply at protesters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Eight people have been confirmed dead and a further number have been injured.

Parliament is on fire and politicians are fleeing, according to witnesses.

A crowd of several thousand people has broken police barricades and entered Kenya's parliament.

In connection with the storming, several demonstrators have been shot by police and eight have been killed, according to Kenyan KTN News. Eyewitnesses tell the BBC that at least ten people have died.

The extensive protests concern a controversial tax increase that was discussed in parliament during the day and, according to KTN News, also voted through by a wide margin. However, President William Ruto has not signed the law yet.

Protested for a week

Before the police resorted to live fire, they fired rubber bullets and tear gas and used water cannons against the protesters. Reuters reports at least 50 injured.

- We are peaceful, shout the protesters according to AFP, whose reporter on the spot saw several bodies on the ground near the parliament complex.

Some protesters reportedly threw stones at the police, according to reporters on the scene.

- We are past the "conversation stage" and will not be silenced, protests Hanifa Adan previously told AFP.

- We demand an end to police violence, respect for our constitutional rights and freedom to raise our voices without fear of arrest or harm.

The largely youth- and student-led protests began last week.

Indicates the high cost of living

Before Tuesday's protests, at least two people had been killed and at least another 200 injured in connection with the protests. Scores have been arrested, according to Amnesty International in Kenya. Despite this, the protests have continued to grow in scale, spreading to the cities of Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret.

The Internet is said to be down or to have suffered major disruptions in large parts of the country.

The protesters are protesting the planned tax increase in particular and the high cost of living in general. President Ruto's government is said to have been bedeviled by widespread discontent among the country's youth.

As a result of the protests, the financially hard-pressed government agreed last week to withdraw several proposals for tax increases, including on bread and cooking oil. But several planned tax increases remain.