According to a statement issued by several NGOs, including Amnesty International in Kenya, "at least five people were shot dead (...) and 31 were injured" during this day of mobilization across the country against the Government's plans for new taxes, and the increase of others, currently under debate in parliament.
Human rights organizations report that live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas were fired.
Barack Obama's sister, Auma Obama, present at the demonstrations, was giving statements to CNN when she was the victim of this gas, which temporarily blinded her.
According to NGOs, in the last 24 hours, 21 kidnappings were recorded by officers in uniform or "undercover".
Journalists from the France-Presse (AFP) news agency, who were at the scene, saw three unconscious people in pools of blood on the outskirts of parliament, where a building had burned down.
The police regained control of the scene.
Television images recorded in parliament showed ransacked rooms, overturned tables, broken windows and smoking furniture scattered across the gardens.
Three army trucks brought reinforcements to protect the area around the parliament.
Also a few hundred meters from parliament, police were using a water cannon to put out a fire in the Nairobi governor's offices, according to footage broadcast by Citizen TV.
The main opposition coalition, Azimio, accused the Government of "unleashing its brute force against the children" of Kenya, who demonstrated today.
Furthermore, according to NetBlocks, an organization that monitors global telecommunications networks, the internet network in Kenya was "significantly" interrupted today, when the police "repressed demonstrations", organized by young people using social media.
The organization highlighted that the authorities had stated, the day before, that they would not block the internet.
Tensions rose throughout the day in Nairobi's central business district (CBD) for this third demonstration in eight days by a movement dubbed "Occupy Parliament", which opposes the 2024-25 draft budget and the new taxes envisaged therein. .
The first clashes broke out around midday (10:00 in Lisbon), after the protesters advanced to an area that houses several official buildings and entered parliament, where deputies had just approved changes to the text, which should be voted on by June 30th.
Young people are protesting what is expected to be the introduction of new taxes, including a 16% VAT on bread and a 2.5% annual tax on private vehicles.
The Government announced, on June 18, that it was withdrawing most of the measures, but protesters continued their protest, demanding the withdrawal of the entire text.
For the protesters, this is a maneuver by the Government, which intends to compensate the withdrawal of certain tax measures with others, namely a 50% increase in the tax on fuel.
Kenya, an East African country with a population of around 52 million, is an economic powerhouse in the region.
However, the country recorded annual inflation of 5.1% in May, with food and fuel prices increasing by 6.2% and 7.8%, respectively, according to the Central Bank.
