At least five protesters have been shot dead by police in Kenya and a section of parliament has been set ablaze as demonstrations against new tax proposals escalate.
An angry crowd broke through police lines to storm parliament in the capital Nairobi before setting parts of it ablaze.
In an address on Tuesday evening, President William Ruto promised to deploy all means to “thwart any attempts by dangerous criminals to undermine the security and stability of our country”.
He has since deployed the military to quell the protests.
An unpopular finance bill, which includes several tax rises, had sparked off protests which have been ongoing for days. But they escalated on Tuesday as lawmakers passed an amended bill, despite the outright rejection of the bill by the public.
Protesters broke into parliament, vandalizing the interior and setting ablaze parts of the complex. The ceremonial mace, which symbolizes the authority of the legislature, was stolen.
The police intervened by opening fire on the crowd with live ammunition, which saw at least five people dead, according to the Kenya Medical Association. A BBC reporter on the scene reported seeing bodies lying on the street in pools of blood.
“There are some things that are hard to understand, like how can you impose 16% tax on bread? How can you tax sanitary pads?” 24-year-old Derrick Mwathu told the BBC, referring to some of the proposals contained in the original bill.
In his response, President Ruto pledged a tough action against the “violence and anarchy”.
“It is not in order or even conceivable that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives and the institutions established under our constitution and expect to go scot-free,” Mr Ruto added.
Hundreds have been reported injured, including with rubber bullets and tear gas. At a cathedral in Nairobi where a medical camp had been set up to tend to injured protesters, doctors were reportedly seen being forced out of the building by soldiers.
Another temporary unit was set up outside the emergency unit at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Source: BBC News
