13 Killed in Kenya rallies as protesters breach Parliament

NAIROBI – The head of the Kenya Medical Association says at least 13 people were killed after Kenyan police fired at protesters rallying in opposition to a finance bill that would raise taxes. The mainly Gen-Z-led rallies, which began last week, have caught the government off guard, with President William Ruto saying over the weekend he was ready to talk to the protesters.

But tensions sharply escalated on Tuesday afternoon, as crowds began to throw stones at police and push back against barricades, making their way towards the parliament complex, which was sealed off by police in full riot gear. Police fired at crowds massing outside the parliament building, where lawmakers had been debating a contentious bill featuring tax hike proposals.

“Police have shot four protesters, as witnessed by KHRC, killing one,” the Kenya Human Rights Commission said in a statement on X. Shortly before, Irungu Houghton, the executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, said that “human rights observers are now reporting the increasing use of live bullets by the National Police Service in the capital of Nairobi. Safe passage for medical officers to treat the many wounded is now urgent,” he said.

Anger over a cost-of-living crisis spiralled into nationwide rallies last week, with demonstrators calling for the finance bill to be scrapped. Despite a heavy police presence, thousands of protesters had earlier marched through Nairobi’s business district, pushing back against barricades as they headed towards parliament.

As protesters gained ground in their push towards parliament, many were livestreaming the action earlier in the day as they sang, chanted and beat drums. Crowds also marched in the port city of Mombasa, the opposition bastion of Kisumu, and Ruto’s stronghold of Eldoret, images on Kenyan TV channels showed.

“Despite mass arrests and injuries, the protests have continued to grow, emphasising the public’s widespread discontent,” it said, warning that “the escalation of force could lead to more fatalities and legal repercussions.”

Rights watchdogs have accused the authorities of abducting protesters in violation of the law. The Kenya Human Rights Commission said the abductions had mostly occurred at night and were “conducted by police officers in civilian clothes and unmarked cars”, calling for the “unconditional release of all abductees.”

The protesters have also deployed unconventional tactics, including asking bars to stop playing music at midnight on the weekend as partygoers burst into chants of “Ruto must go” and “Reject finance bill.”