Five people have been shot dead and 31 wounded on Tuesday during protests in Kenya over proposed tax hikes.
The Kenya Medical Association in a statement revealed, “At least five people have been shot dead while treating the injured. Thirty-one people have been injured”.
According to reports by a rights group, Kenyan police shot dead one protester near parliament Tuesday, with people lying motionless on the ground as crowds opposed to proposed tax hikes breached barricades to enter the parliamentary complex where a fire erupted.
The mainly Gen-Z-led rallies, which began last week, have caught the government off guard, with President William Ruto saying over the weekend he was ready to talk to the protesters.
Tensions, however, escalated on Tuesday afternoon, as crowds began to throw stones at police and push back against barricades, making their way towards the parliament complex, which was sealed off by police in full riot gear.
Despite a heavy police presence, thousands of protesters had earlier marched through Nairobi’s business district, pushing back against barricades as they headed towards parliament.
Police fired at crowds massing outside the parliament building, where lawmakers had been debating a contentious bill featuring tax hike proposals.
Anger over a cost-of-living crisis spiralled into nationwide rallies last week, with demonstrators calling for the finance bill to be scrapped.
