Violence broke out in Kenya on Tuesday as protesters clashed with police in the streets and stormed the country’s parliament building after lawmakers passed a bill to increase taxes.
Smoke filled the parliament compound as protesters, angry over tax increases in the finance bill, threw stones and blocked roads.
The protests paralyzed the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with images of demonstrators surging into the parliament building and entering the gated compound shocking the nation. More than 30 protesters were injured and at least five died, according to multiple civil society groups.
The protests have spread across the country, including in Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret and other urban areas. Kenya is heavily in debt and the government says it needs to raise taxes. But many Kenyans say they cannot afford the proposed price increases on imported staples such as eggs, onions and cooking oil.
