OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:14 PM – Tuesday, June 25, 2024
As anger over a contentious “finance bill” has prompted ongoing protests and riots, Kenyan police opened fire on demonstrators in Nairobi on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring at least 31.
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When a CNN-affiliate news crew arrived on the scene, they reportedly saw two lifeless bodies on the ground covered in blood.
Proposed tax increases in Kenya have sparked widespread protests, which culminated in Tuesday’s “total shutdown” of the nation, which swiftly descended into chaos.
Kenyan citizens have been organizing rallies under the banner of “7 Days of Rage” in response to the Finance Bill 2024, triggering additional days of unrest around the country.
Thirteen of the injured people were struck by live rounds, four by rubber bullets, and three by launcher canisters.
“Despite the assurance by the government that the right to assembly would be protected and facilitated, today’s protests have spiraled into violence. Human rights observers and medical officers have reported several incidents of human rights violation,” said a joint statement released by Amnesty International Kenya, the Kenya Medical Association, the Law Society of Kenya, and Police Reforms Working Group Kenya.
Protesters were seen charging Kenya’s parliament, setting it on fire, and stealing the ceremonial mace.
According to CNN affiliate NTV Kenya, Kenyan legislators who were present in the parliament building managed to flee by a covert route.
Lawmakers were also evacuated as police confronted protesters and rioters, forcing them to flee to the neighboring Bunge Towers government complex. Additionally, Tuesday saw a “major disruption” to internet access, according to internet monitoring site NetBlocks.
Live footage from outlet Citizen TV revealed that the governor of Nairobi’s office, City Hall, was also set on fire.
Through a lower-ground window, smoke was seen coming from a burning fire and adjacent windows. Citizen TV reported that several individuals were observed taking chairs and other furniture out of the facility.
Additionally, there were fires started in parked cars at Kenya’s Supreme Court, which is close by to City Hall.
Auma Obama, the half-sister of former U.S. Democrat President Barack Obama, was tear-gassed by police earlier on Tuesday as she rioted against the measure during a live appearance with CNN.
“I can’t even see anymore, we’re being teargassed,” she said in footage captured. “I’m here because look at what’s happening. Young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights. They are demonstrating with flags and banners,” Obama added.
William Ruto, Kenya’s president, declared that he is “proud” of the protesters and that he hopes to speak with them. Meanwhile, security personnel have been accused of kidnapping well-known Kenyans, especially those with popular social media accounts with thousands or millions of followers.
Prior to the scheduled protests on Tuesday, Amnesty International Kenya reported that it was looking into the whereabouts of up to 12 people who were “abducted in the middle of [the] night.”
Amnesty Kenya executive director Irũngũ Houghton told reporters that the list consists of bloggers, social media content creators, human rights campaigners, doctors, and legislative staff members.
“We are horrified by some of the testimonies we have heard over the last 24 hours. We have about 12 people unaccounted for who have been picked up, in many cases, by people who are uniformed or not uniformed,” Houghton said. “We are now seeing not just abductions but disappearances,” he said.
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