A section of the Kenyan Parliament building caught fire and protesters and police clashed outside the building in Nairobi as demonstrators protested against the contentious tax hike proposals.
A section of Parliament set on fire pic.twitter.com/MZUiRsLVlX— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 25, 2024
A report by news agency AFP, which cited its reporters on ground, said that part of the parliament building caught fire. Local news outlets like CitizenTVKenya and The Star said that the protesters overpowered the police and breached the barricades and entered the parliament when lawmakers were debated the tax hike proposals.
Scenes of aftermath inside Parliament as protestors storm buildings pic.twitter.com/mdHh0VtC5v— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 25, 2024
A separate report by Reuters said that five people died in the clashes between the police and the protesters.
Their report also said that the protesters overwhelmed police and chased them away in an attempt to storm the parliament compound. Videos going viral on social media show flames coming from inside the parliament and smoke billowing.
Police opened fire after tear gas and water cannon failed to disperse the crowds.
The news agency citing its journalist on ground said that the journalist counted the bodies of at least five protesters outside parliament. Vivian Achista, a paramedic, said that at least 10 had been shot dead. Richard Ngumo, also a paramedic, said more than 50 people had been wounded by gunfire.
“We want to shut down parliament and every MP should go down and resign. We will have a new government,” protestor Davis Tafari was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Police eventually managed to drive the protesters from the building amid clouds of tear gas and the sound of gunfire. The lawmakers were evacuated through underground tunnels, local media reported.
Anger over a cost-of-living crisis spiralled into nationwide rallies last week, with demonstrators calling for the finance bill to be scrapped.
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