Kenya's Parliament burns as protesters oppose new taxes. Clashes spread and bodies are counted

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Part of Kenya's parliament building was burned Tuesday as thousands of protesters against a new finance bill entered and lawmakers fled, in the most direct attack on the government for decades. Reporters saw at least three bodies outside the compound where police opened fire, and medical staff reported five more dead. The clashes spread to other cities.

Kenya's defense minister said the military had been deployed to support police during the “security emergency” and “breach of critical infrastructure.”

The protesters had demanded that lawmakers vote against the bill imposing new taxes on a country, East Africa's economic hub, where frustrations over the high cost of living were simmering. Young people who elected President William Ruto to power by applauding his promises of economic aid took to the streets to oppose the painful consequences of the reforms.

But lawmakers voted to pass the bill, then fled through a tunnel as protesters, many of them young people, outwitted police to gain entry. The fire was then extinguished.

At least five people were shot and killed while treating the injured, the Kenya Medical Association and other groups said in a joint statement. More than 30 people were injured, including at least 13 by live ammunition. One person who was shot was wrapped in a Kenyan flag and carried away. Another was lying on the sidewalk, his head in the gutter.

As the sun set a few hours later, there was still no comment from the Kenyan government. Internet service in the country has slowed noticeably, which NetBlocks called a “major disruption.” Ruto was outside Nairobi to attend an African Union retreat. He was due to sign the finance bill this week and has two weeks to act.

The office of the Nairobi governor, a member of the ruling party, was also briefly set on fire, with smoke billowing from its white facade. The office is located near Parliament. Police water cannons were used to put out the fire.

Protesters could be heard shouting: “We are coming for every politician.”

Police fired live ammunition and threw tear gas canisters at protesters seeking treatment at a medical tent near a church near Parliament. Elsewhere, the Kenyatta National Hospital said it had received 45 “casualties”, although it did not know whether any had died.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission shared a video showing police shooting at protesters and urged Ruto to issue an immediate order to “end the killings”.

On Sunday, Ruto tried to calm growing public tensions around the finance bill, saying he was proud of the young Kenyans who came to exercise their democratic duty. The politician who had portrayed himself as a “hustler” from humble beginnings said he would ask them about their concerns.

Last week, young people announced they were uniting to keep the government in check, as prices for fuel, food and other basic necessities soared. In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a major United Nations complex, inequalities among Kenyans have deepened, as have long-standing frustrations over state corruption.

Opposition to the finance bill has united much of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have torn Kenya apart in the past. Some of those who had passionately supported Ruto felt betrayed.

“I fell for his lies. Now I regret why I voted for him,” young Oscar Saina told the Associated Press last week.

As crowds of protesters rushed the streets, a movement of defiance emerged elsewhere in the country on Tuesday, including in Ruto's town, Naivasha, as demonstrators chanted “Ruto must go.”

Protesters attempted to storm State House in the western town of Nakuru, a witness said. Clashes took place in the lakeside town of Kisumu, in the west of the country. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city, joined protesters outside his office and expressed his support for them.

Protesters set fire to the ruling party offices in Embu, central Kenya, the Nation newspaper reported. Citizen TV showed footage from Nyeri, central Kenya, showing police confronting protesters in the smoldering streets.

One media outlet, KTN, released a statement saying “we have received threats from authorities to shut us down” as media coverage continued.

A national gathering of Catholic bishops urged police not to attack protesters and implored the government to listen to citizens' pain over “unjustified” taxes, saying “the country is bleeding…families are suffering immensely.”

Two people died during similar protests last weekand civil society groups have sounded the alarm about a crackdown.

Kenya Law Society president Faith Odhiambo said earlier on Tuesday that 50 Kenyans, including her personal assistant, had been “kidnapped” by people suspected of being police officers. Some had been vocal during protests and were taken from their homes, workplaces and public spaces before Tuesday's demonstrations, according to civil society groups.

In a statement, diplomats from 13 Western countries, including the United States, said they were “shocked” by the scenes outside Parliament and expressed concern about the violence and kidnappings of protesters.

Police officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment. Speaker of Parliament Moses Wetangula had asked the Inspector General of Police to provide information on the fate of the missing people.

Also Tuesday, hundreds of Kenyan police officers, long accused of abuses by human rights watchdogs and others, arrived in Haiti to lead a multinational force backed by the United Nations against the powerful gangs that hold the country in their grip. The deployment faces a legal challenge in Kenya, but Ruto's government has moved ahead, with the thanks from US President Joe Biden.

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