At least five people have been killed after protesters stormed Kenya’s parliament building, setting sections of it alight and desecrating the senate chambers.
Aside from the deceased, the law enforcement officers arrested dozens of other protesters over allegations that they have destroyed public facilities.
Thousands of demonstrators marched on the Nairobi, the capital city, clashing with police and storming the parliament building, to push for a reversal of the tax law.
The protesters, armed with rocks and sticks met stiff resistance from the Policemen and other security agencies that shot teargas canisters and live ammunition, to scare the angry protesters away.
The Kenyan Parliament came under siege on Tuesday when anti-tax demonstrators gained access to the House moments after lawmakers passed President Ruto’s highly contested Finance Bill 2024.
The violence erupted after lawmakers passed the contentious bill, which opponents say will lead to higher prices and widespread hardship. The government has vowed to restore order and maintain stability, but the opposition has called for further protests and demanded that the bill be repealed.
The protesters, who had been battling police and chanting anti-government slogans in the streets of Nairobi for weeks, gained access to the highly fortified Parliament Buildings via Uhuru Highway.
The MPs escaped to Bunge Towers through an underground channel as the anti-tax protesters breached the Parliament Building.
Video footage obtained showed that a section of the parliament building on fire, while lawmakers escaped the complex via a tunnel. The channel also showed footage of the aftermath, with security forces surveying the damage, broken glass and furniture, and objects burning on the grass outside.
