Several shot, protesters storm Kenya’s parliament after lawmakers approve tax hikes

Nairobi, Kenya — Several people were shot outside Kenya's parliament on Tuesday as police clashed with protesters who stormed the complex after lawmakers passed highly controversial tax increases. Police fired live ammunition after tear gas and rubber bullets failed to disperse the thousands who had gathered to protest the tax hikes.  Witnesses told VOA they saw a number of bodies on the ground outside the building, and news reports say that at least five people were killed. Meanwhile, fires broke out in the parliament buildings after protesters made it past police barricades.  At least two vehicles in the area were set on fire and burned. Protesters had demonstrated peacefully near parliament in Nairobi most of the day to demand that lawmakers vote against the 2024 Finance Bill. However, the bill was approved on a 195 to 106 vote. One protester told VOA he disagrees with what the government is trying to do and had to be there to make his voice heard.  "We are protesting against government impunity. You see the finance bill is not something that is going to make Kenyans live at peace," he said. "And you've seen we've tried to talk to the government but they are forcing it down our throat. So I've decided as a youth to come here and protest and tell them that the government is made by the people, we are the people and we want the government to listen to us."  Kelvin Moses works near where the protests were taking place. He told VOA the demonstrations have affected many businesses in the Central Business district. "The businesses are really down, the traffic and flow of customers has really been affected," Moses said. "You can see that in the CBD [Central Business District], very few shops are open. We hope this matter can be resolved as soon as possible because we business people are feeling the pinch." After the vote, some lawmakers fled the parliament complex as hundreds of protesters broke through police barricades and rushed inside. Kenya has seen a growing youth-led movement in recent days against the tax increases, which the government says are necessary to continue to pay the interest on its high sovereign debt. Lawmakers made some compromises on the tax bill, dropping proposed increases on bread, car ownership and financial transactions.  But that was not enough for protesters who said the cost of living is already too high. The protests have been led largely by young people. However, Kenyan lawyer Javas Bigambo told VOA the opposition to the finance bill is not just limited to the youth.  "There has been the assumption that the protests are merely a creation of the Gen-Z or the youth in the country forgetting that these protests, organic as they are, have continued to receive overwhelming support from civil society organizations, from the farmers, manufacturers, the private sector and religious leaders," Bigambo said. The Finance Bill still needs President William Ruto’s signature to become law.