Auma Obama, half sister of former President Barack Obama, was tear-gassed during a live interview with CNN on Tuesday during protests in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi against the passage of a fiscal bill that would have raised taxes on many basic goods.
When CNN reporters approached Mrs. Obama, she was with a group of protesters holding signs.
“I’m here because — look at what’s happening,” she told the interviewer. “The young people in Kenya are demonstrating for their rights. They’re demonstrating with flags and banners.”
Mrs. Obama then began to suffocate from tear gas fired by police.
“I couldn’t see,” she said. “We were tear-gassed.”
Ms. Obama grew up in Kenya After studying and living in Germany and the UK, she returned to Kenya and became a community activist. Her foundation in Kenya, Sauti Kuu (Strong Voices), works with children and young people, especially from urban slums and rural communities.
Ms. Obama has previously Posted photos of himself at the protest on social media. Police used tear gas, water cannon and opened fire as thousands marched toward parliament. At least five people were killed and 31 injured, according to several civil society groups.
