Kenya was in a state of shock on Wednesday following unprecedented scenes that left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted, as protests over proposed tax hikes turned deadly after brute police force.
But tensions flared sharply on Tuesday afternoon, as police officers fired live rounds on crowds that later ransacked the parliament complex, with rights groups saying the violence had left five dead and more than 30 injured.Hours later, Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale announced that the government had deployed the army to support the police in tackling"the security emergency" in the country.
The government has been 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. A policeman standing in front of the broken barricades to the complex told AFP he had watched the distressing scenes unfold on TV.Earlier on Tuesday, the rallies in various Kenyan cities had been largely peaceful.
As dusk fell, internet services crashed, with global web monitor NetBlocks reporting that Kenya had suffered a"major disruption" before access returned overnight.The unrest has alarmed the international community, with the White House appealing for calm and more than 10 Western nations -- including Canada, Germany and Britain -- saying they were"especially shocked by the scenes witnessed outside the Kenyan Parliament".
"Kenya cannot afford to kill its children just because the children are asking for food, jobs and a listening ear," he said.The police have not responded to any requests for comment from AFP.Long-running grievances over the rising cost of living spiralled last week as politicians began debating proposed tax hikes in the 2024 finance bill.
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