NAIROBI: Thousands of protesters stormed Kenya’s parliament on Tuesday. Tax proposalsPart of the building was burned, lawmakers had to flee and face police firing, which the president vowed to suppress. Several people were killed.
It was the most direct attack on the government in decades. Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the compound where police opened fire, and medics reported five people dead.The clashes also spread to other cities. There was no immediate information about arrests.
“Today’s events mark a turning point in how we confront threats to our national security.” President William Ruto He said the incident was “treasonous” and vowed to end the unrest “at any cost”.
Kenya’s Defence Minister said the army has been deployed to assist police during a “security emergency” and “breach of critical infrastructure”.
The protesters had demanded that legislators vote against a finance bill that would impose new taxes on East Africa’s economic hub, where frustration is growing over the high cost of living. Young people who swept Ruto to power cheering his promises of economic relief have taken to the streets to object to the pain of reforms.
The lawmakers passed the bill before the protesters evaded police and entered the building through a tunnel. The fire in the building was later extinguished.
The Kenya Medical Association said in a statement that at least five people were killed by gunshot wounds while trying to treat wounded at the scene. It said more than 30 people were injured, at least 13 of them with live bullets. Police opened fire and fired tear gas at protesters, who rushed to a medical tent at a nearby church for treatment. In another part of the city, Kenyatta National Hospital said it had suffered 45 casualties.
One man was shot and carried away wrapped in a Kenyan flag. Another man was lying on the pavement with his head in a gutter.
Internet service in the country has been significantly reduced, which NetBlocks described as a “major disruption”, and at least one broadcaster issued a statement saying “we have received threats from authorities to shut down internet service.”
Ruto was expected to sign the finance bill into law this week, while attending an African Union retreat outside Nairobi. He has two weeks to act, but religious and other leaders are calling on him to think again.
On Tuesday, a fire also broke out in the office of the Nairobi governor, who is a member of the ruling party. Smoke was billowing from the white part of the office. Police used water cannon to put out the fire.
Protesters could be heard shouting, “We are going to attack every politician.”
The Kenya Human Rights Commission shared a video of officers shooting at protesters, and urged Ruto to issue immediate orders to “stop the killings”.
Instead, the president said the government had “mobilized all resources” to ensure order.
On Sunday, Ruto tried to calm rising public tensions, saying he was proud of young Kenyans who had come out to perform their democratic duty in earlier protests. The politician who promoted himself as a “hustler” from humble beginnings said he would talk to them about their concerns.
The youth had announced they were uniting to keep the government in check as prices of fuel, food and other essential commodities skyrocketed. Inequality among Kenyans has also grown in Nairobi, a regional hub for migrants and home to a United Nations complex, as has long-standing frustrations over state corruption.
Opposition to the finance bill has united a large part of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have divided Kenya in the past. Some who had passionately supported Ruto felt betrayed.
“I fell for his lies,” young Oscar Saina told The Associated Press last week. “Now I regret why I voted for him.”
As crowds of demonstrators poured into the streets on Tuesday, protests also erupted in other parts of the country — including in Naivasha, the president’s residential city, where protesters chanted “Ruto must go.”
A witness said protesters tried to storm State House in the western city of Nakuru. Clashes also took place in the western lakeside city of Kisumu. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city, joined protesters outside his office and expressed his support for them.
The Nation newspaper reported that protesters burned down ruling party offices in Embu, central Kenya. Citizen TV showed footage from Nyeri, central Kenya, of police clashing with protesters in smoke-spewing streets.
A national assembly of Catholic bishops urged police not to attack protesters and urged the government to listen to citizens’ anguish over “unfair” taxes, saying “the country is bleeding … families are suffering immensely.”
Two people were killed in similar protests last week, and civil society groups have warned of a crackdown.
Faith Odhiambo, president of the Kenya Law Society, said earlier on Tuesday that 50 Kenyans, including her personal assistant, had been “abducted” by people believed to be police officers. According to civil society groups, some were vocal in the protests and were picked up from homes, workplaces and public places ahead of Tuesday’s protests.
A statement issued by diplomats from 13 Western countries, including the United States, said they were “shocked” by the scenes outside parliament and expressed concern at the violence and kidnappings being perpetrated against protesters.
Police officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment. Speaker of Parliament Moses Wetangula had directed the Inspector General of Police to provide information on the whereabouts of the missing people.
Also on Tuesday, hundreds of Kenyan police officers, long accused of abuses by human rights monitors and others, arrived in Haiti to lead a U.N.-backed multinational force against powerful gangs that have gripped the country. The deployment faces a legal challenge in Kenya, but Ruto’s government has pressed ahead with thanks from U.S. President Joe Biden.
It was the most direct attack on the government in decades. Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the compound where police opened fire, and medics reported five people dead.The clashes also spread to other cities. There was no immediate information about arrests.
“Today’s events mark a turning point in how we confront threats to our national security.” President William Ruto He said the incident was “treasonous” and vowed to end the unrest “at any cost”.
Kenya’s Defence Minister said the army has been deployed to assist police during a “security emergency” and “breach of critical infrastructure”.
The protesters had demanded that legislators vote against a finance bill that would impose new taxes on East Africa’s economic hub, where frustration is growing over the high cost of living. Young people who swept Ruto to power cheering his promises of economic relief have taken to the streets to object to the pain of reforms.
The lawmakers passed the bill before the protesters evaded police and entered the building through a tunnel. The fire in the building was later extinguished.
The Kenya Medical Association said in a statement that at least five people were killed by gunshot wounds while trying to treat wounded at the scene. It said more than 30 people were injured, at least 13 of them with live bullets. Police opened fire and fired tear gas at protesters, who rushed to a medical tent at a nearby church for treatment. In another part of the city, Kenyatta National Hospital said it had suffered 45 casualties.
One man was shot and carried away wrapped in a Kenyan flag. Another man was lying on the pavement with his head in a gutter.
Internet service in the country has been significantly reduced, which NetBlocks described as a “major disruption”, and at least one broadcaster issued a statement saying “we have received threats from authorities to shut down internet service.”
Ruto was expected to sign the finance bill into law this week, while attending an African Union retreat outside Nairobi. He has two weeks to act, but religious and other leaders are calling on him to think again.
On Tuesday, a fire also broke out in the office of the Nairobi governor, who is a member of the ruling party. Smoke was billowing from the white part of the office. Police used water cannon to put out the fire.
Protesters could be heard shouting, “We are going to attack every politician.”
The Kenya Human Rights Commission shared a video of officers shooting at protesters, and urged Ruto to issue immediate orders to “stop the killings”.
Instead, the president said the government had “mobilized all resources” to ensure order.
On Sunday, Ruto tried to calm rising public tensions, saying he was proud of young Kenyans who had come out to perform their democratic duty in earlier protests. The politician who promoted himself as a “hustler” from humble beginnings said he would talk to them about their concerns.
The youth had announced they were uniting to keep the government in check as prices of fuel, food and other essential commodities skyrocketed. Inequality among Kenyans has also grown in Nairobi, a regional hub for migrants and home to a United Nations complex, as has long-standing frustrations over state corruption.
Opposition to the finance bill has united a large part of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have divided Kenya in the past. Some who had passionately supported Ruto felt betrayed.
“I fell for his lies,” young Oscar Saina told The Associated Press last week. “Now I regret why I voted for him.”
As crowds of demonstrators poured into the streets on Tuesday, protests also erupted in other parts of the country — including in Naivasha, the president’s residential city, where protesters chanted “Ruto must go.”
A witness said protesters tried to storm State House in the western city of Nakuru. Clashes also took place in the western lakeside city of Kisumu. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city, joined protesters outside his office and expressed his support for them.
The Nation newspaper reported that protesters burned down ruling party offices in Embu, central Kenya. Citizen TV showed footage from Nyeri, central Kenya, of police clashing with protesters in smoke-spewing streets.
A national assembly of Catholic bishops urged police not to attack protesters and urged the government to listen to citizens’ anguish over “unfair” taxes, saying “the country is bleeding … families are suffering immensely.”
Two people were killed in similar protests last week, and civil society groups have warned of a crackdown.
Faith Odhiambo, president of the Kenya Law Society, said earlier on Tuesday that 50 Kenyans, including her personal assistant, had been “abducted” by people believed to be police officers. According to civil society groups, some were vocal in the protests and were picked up from homes, workplaces and public places ahead of Tuesday’s protests.
A statement issued by diplomats from 13 Western countries, including the United States, said they were “shocked” by the scenes outside parliament and expressed concern at the violence and kidnappings being perpetrated against protesters.
Police officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment. Speaker of Parliament Moses Wetangula had directed the Inspector General of Police to provide information on the whereabouts of the missing people.
Also on Tuesday, hundreds of Kenyan police officers, long accused of abuses by human rights monitors and others, arrived in Haiti to lead a U.N.-backed multinational force against powerful gangs that have gripped the country. The deployment faces a legal challenge in Kenya, but Ruto’s government has pressed ahead with thanks from U.S. President Joe Biden.
