NAIROBI: Kenya was in a state of shock on Wednesday after unprecedented scenes of violence left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted. Protests over proposed tax hikes turned deadly, prompting President William Ruto’s government to deploy the military.
“Deaths, mayhem” read the front-page headline of The Standard newspaper, while The Daily Nation described the situation as “Pandemonium,” stating: “The foundations of the country have been shaken to the core.”
The mainly youth-led rallies began peacefully last week, with thousands of demonstrators marching in the capital Nairobi and across the country against the tax increases.
However, tensions sharply escalated on Tuesday afternoon when police officers fired live rounds into crowds, which later ransacked the parliament complex. Rights groups reported that the violence left five dead and more than 30 injured.
Hours later, Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale announced the deployment of the army to support the police in addressing the “security emergency” in the country.
In a late-night press briefing, Ruto warned that his government would take a tough stance against “violence and anarchy,” comparing some of the demonstrators to “criminals.”
“It is not in order or even conceivable that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives, and the institutions established under our constitution and expect to go scot-free,” he said.
The government was taken by surprise by the intensity of opposition to its tax proposals, mostly led by young, Gen-Z Kenyans, which culminated in the shocking scenes at parliament that played out live on TV.
Images shared on local TV stations after crowds broke through the barricades showed the building ransacked, with burnt furniture and smashed windows. As police fired at the angry crowds, several bodies were left strewn on the ground. Protest organizers urged people to walk home together and “stay safe.”
‘Madness’ A heavy police presence was deployed around parliament on Wednesday morning.
A policeman standing in front of the broken barricades of the complex told media he had watched the distressing scenes unfold on TV. “It was madness, we hope it will be calm today,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the rallies in various Kenyan cities had been largely peaceful. However, tensions escalated in Nairobi in the afternoon, with some protesters hurling stones at police. The police responded with tear gas, water cannon, and live bullets.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission reported that at least one protester had been shot by police, with journalists seeing three people bleeding heavily and lying motionless on the ground near parliament.
A joint statement by rights groups, including Amnesty International’s Kenya chapter, said police had shot dead five people.
As dusk fell, internet services crashed, with global web monitor NetBlocks reporting that Kenya had suffered a “major disruption” before access returned overnight.
