Anti-tax protesters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi have gained access to the complex where parliament sits.
There have been reports of people being wounded as police fired teargas and other rounds of ammunition to disperse the crowds.
An unconfirmed report by a human rights organization said four protesters were shot and that one person had been killed.
“Such actions are unacceptable and constitute a grave violation of human rights,” the Kenya Human Rights Commission said.
Thousands of protesters have been engaged in running battles with the police for hours, with the security officers firing rubber bullets and teargas to break up the crowds.
The protests have been happening simultaneously around the country.
The protesters became infuriated as Members of Parliament (MPs) passed a controversial finance bill that introduced unpopular tax proposals.
All through the day businesses were shut and transport was paralyzed in the city as police engaged in running battles with demonstrators.
The youth-led protests have been calling on MPs to reject proposed tax increases.
The public authority, which has paddled back on probably the most controversial measures, says new taxes are expected to support spending programs and decrease the debt burden.
The police seemed to be overwhelmed because of the crowds which were much bigger than in previous protests, according to a BBC reporter
The protesters who had been shouting “reject the finance bill” vowed to get to the parliament complex.
“We are coming to reject the taxes that are being imposed… We had been given promises that within two years we would see change, but what change are we seeing?”, 24-year-old Derrick Mwathu told the BBC.
“There are some things that are hard to understand, like how can you impose a 16% tax on bread! How can you tax sanitary pads,” he lamented, referring to some of the controversial measures initially proposed.
The government has since said it would not impose the tax on bread and only tax imported sanitary items.
The protests have attracted the attention of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine and South Africa’s Julius Malema who have both expressed their support.
The government had put up a defense for the taxes as necessary for raising additional revenue to reduce Kenya’s debt, but has conceded to some demands.
In the wake of a public outcry, the government scrapped some contentious taxes including proposed taxes on bread, cooking oil and motor vehicle ownership.
But the protesters were not satisfied with the measures taken by the authorities and have called for a complete withdrawal of the bill.
Majority of the MPs passed the controversial bill during its second reading and were on Tuesday debating on the various amendments, to remove some of the clauses that the government has considered contentious, despite the protesters’ outright rejection of the bill..
At least two people died in protests and hundreds others injured in last week’s demonstrations, which were largely peaceful.
President Ruto has acknowledged the protests and promised to hold talks to address the concerns of the youth who are leading the protests.
Source: BBC News
