Several Kenyans are feared dead from the clashes between police and protesters over the controversial finance bill passed by MPs.
A paramedic, according to the BBC, has told the Reuters news agency that at least 10 protesters have been killed so far.
The death toll is likely to rise as police continue to battle the protesters inside and outside parliament.
The unrest has paralyzed businesses and transportation across various cities and towns. The bill introduces several unpopular taxes, prompting a youth-led protest movement demanding its rejection.
Despite the government’s concessions on some of the most contentious measures, including exempting bread and imported sanitary items from the proposed taxes, the anger among the populace remains palpable.
Protesters argue that the new taxes would disproportionately affect the poorest citizens, exacerbating their financial struggles.
Ambulances can be seen carrying the injured from the streets. Some 45 injured people have been sent to Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital, the country’s biggest referral hospital.
A section of Kenya’s parliament has caught fire just minutes after protesters breached police barricades to storm the complex.
Live broadcasts on local television displayed plumes of smoke rising from the parliamentary grounds, signaling a chaotic escalation in the ongoing protests.
Witnesses have reported injuries among the demonstrators as police resorted to firing rounds to disperse the advancing crowds.
Nearby, images surfaced of a police truck engulfed in flames, further illustrating the intensity of the clashes. Thousands of protesters, engaged in running battles with security forces, faced volleys of rubber bullets and tear gas as officers struggled to control the situation.