According to a paramedic, protests against tax legislation in Kenya’s capital on Tuesday resulted in violent altercations with police and the setting of a portion of the parliament on fire, resulting in at least ten shooting deaths.
Amnesty International Kenya reports that three persons were seen by AFP journalists laying motionless on the ground close to the compound where police had shot live bullets, leaving “many wounded.”
When protesters gathered outside the parliament building to discuss a controversial bill that included tax raise plans, police opened fire.
Prior to this, Amnesty International Kenya’s executive director, Irungu Houghton, said AFP that “human rights observers are now reporting the increasing use of live bullets by the National Police Service in the capital of Nairobi”.
“Safe passage for medical officers to treat the many wounded is now urgent,” he stated.
President William Ruto declared over the weekend that he was prepared to speak with the demonstrators. The primarily Generation Z-led demonstrations started last week and have been largely peaceful.
However, things quickly became more tense on Tuesday afternoon as demonstrators started to hurl stones at law enforcement and push back against barriers as they attempted to enter the parliament building, which was guarded by officers in full riot gear.
