Kenyan Parliament torched as anti-tax protests escalate

A section of the Kenya Parliament building in Nairobi was set on fire on Tuesday as anti-tax protests by youths heightened.

The fire became noticeable minutes after the protesters broke through police lines and into the building.

The protesters got in shortly after the legislators voted to pass the bill introducing taxes, forcing ruling party lawmakers who were instrumental to the passing of the bill to flee through a tunnel, while opposition legislators who voted against the bill walked freely out of the besieged building.

At least five of the protesters were allegedly gunned down by the police, who are reported to have used live ammunition in their desperate bid to stop the invasion of the country’s legislative complex.

Earlier, at least two people were reported to have died before the Tuesday incident since the start of the protests, incidentally, on Tuesday last week, June 18.

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Thousands of Kenyans have since been involved in the protests, which started in the capital, Nairobi, and spread to other towns and cities.

The police have been having a hard time trying to contain the protesters, who turned out in massive numbers.

The direct attack on the parliament came after members passed the controversial Finance Bill from the executive arm of government, which introduced unpopular taxes.

The demonstrators had been calling on the members of parliament not to approve the new tax proposals, and after the executive last Thursday dropped some of the contentious proposals, they insisted the entire bill be scrapped.

President William Ruto has defended the tax proposals, saying new taxes are needed to run the country and reduce external borrowing.

Tax measures in the bill that remained untouched and which prompted the attack on the parliament as the lawmakers passed the bill on Tuesday include a tax on specialised hospitals, which many Kenyans fear could raise healthcare costs and an increase in import tax from 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent of an item’s value, which is seen as likely to soon be a reason for the high cost of imported valuables, among other measures.

Some observers of the event, however, see the protests as transcending concerns over new taxes. Citizens see the government as having generally failed at providing for them.

The tax bill will now go to President Ruto’s table for signing into law.

He can either sign it within 14 days or send it back to parliament for watering down, given the protests, which may not have ended with the attack on parliament.