Protesters storm parliament grounds in Kenya

Kenya’s government plans to raise some taxes. Thousands of people protested against this in the capital, some of them breaking into the parliament grounds. The police responded with shots and several people were killed.

During the debate over controversial tax increases, demonstrators stormed the parliament grounds in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Images on Kenyan television showed several hundred people overcoming police barriers.

The situation is extremely confusing, reports ARD Correspondent Thilko Gläßgen from Nairobi. The police acted brutally and shot at demonstrators. According to the non-governmental organization Amnesty Kenya, at least five people were killed. The Reuters news agency previously reported, citing a paramedic, that at least ten people were dead and around 50 injured. There are no official figures from the Kenyan authorities so far.

Demonstrators set fire to parts of the parliament and Nairobi’s town hall, reports Gläßgen. Television images showed broken windows and damage to the parliament building. Members of parliament are said to have fled.

Fire in Parliament and City Hall

With chants of “Ruto must go”, the mostly young demonstrators demanded the resignation of President William Ruto. They also called for a functioning public administration.

Looting and burning vehicles, as well as peaceful demonstrations, were also reported from other parts of the country. Churches and business representatives also spoke out against the law.

Kenyan media companies reported in the afternoon that they had been threatened with closure by government officials because of their coverage of the protests. During the demonstrations, the Internet in the country was massively disrupted, the organization NetBlocks said, citing real-time network data.

Higher Cost of living feared

Despite the protests, Parliament approved the controversial finance bill. The third reading was taking place in Parliament at the time of the storming. Two thirds of MPs voted in favour. The bill will now be presented to President Ruto for his signature.

Many people in Kenya fear that the law will further increase the cost of living. One of the plans is an eco-tax that would increase the price of hygiene products for women and children.

The government responded with some concessions and promised to abolish the planned new taxes on bread, cooking oil, car ownership and financial transactions. However, the protesters are demanding that the law be overturned completely.

Opposition for international Intervene

President Ruto called the protests “treacherous”. “Organized criminals” had infiltrated and subverted the protests. The safety of Kenyans remains his highest priority. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga called for an immediate end to the violence and called for dialogue and international intervention, Kenyan broadcaster KTN News reported.

Numerous Western countries expressed their deep concern about the riots. The diplomatic missions were “particularly shocked by the scenes in front of the Kenyan parliament,” said a statement from the embassies of a total of 13 countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and the USA.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for restraint from police and security forces in Kenya. He appealed to demonstrators to protest peacefully, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. “It is very important that people’s rights to demonstrate peacefully are respected.”

Two dead in past protest

There had already been protests in recent days in which two people were killed. Civil society groups reported that members of protest groups who had been taken from their homes and workplaces in the run-up to the demonstrations were missing. Parliament Speaker Moses Wetangula instructed the Inspector General of Police to provide information on people who, according to the opposition, had been abducted by the police.

Kenya’s President Ruto is particularly unpopular among young Kenyans. The new taxes have also angered many of Ruto’s former voters. The high inflation in the East African country has caused the already small middle class to shrink even further. Many people in Kenya still live in poverty.