Kenyan police fire live rounds at protesters after storming of parliament
Violence, death and chaos: Nairobi has been thrown into turmoil as protesters and police have clashed over the growing cost-of-living and new tax rises, Rohit Kachroo reports
Kenyan police have fired live rounds at demonstrators in Nairobi after outrage broke out over a controversial finance bill.
The legislation has sparked widespread protests, leading to citizens rallying under the banner of "7 Days of Rage" and lighting part of the Kenyan parliament building on fire.
Journalists reporting from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, said they have observed bodies lying motionless in the street. At least one person shot dead was carried off after being wrapped in a Kenyan flag.
Frustrations over the high cost-of-living have simmered for years in Kenya, and newly imposed taxes on the country has pushed protesters into assaulting parliament.
Politicians were forced to flee through a tunnel, while legislators who opposed the bill were able to walk out of the besieged parliament building.
The office of the Nairobi governor, a member of the ruling party, was also briefly on fire. The office is located near parliament. Police water cannons were used to extinguish the fire.
Earlier on Tuesday, Auma Obama, the half-sister of former United States President Barack Obama, was teargassed by police during an interview with ITV News' US partner CNN, while protesting against the bill.
“I can’t even see anymore, we’re being teargassed,” Ms Obama said in dramatic footage captured by the team on the ground.
Ms Obama, a Kenyan-British activist, was speaking to CNN’s Larry Madowo alongside a group of young protesters when the group was teargassed in Nairobi.
Former US president Barack Obama's half-sister was teargassed alongside other protesters, while being interviewed by ITV News' US partner CNN
The clashes between police and protesters haven't just been confined to Nairobi, with demonstrators nationwide effectively forcing a "total shutdown" of the country.
Amnesty International Kenya has said it is investigating the whereabouts of up to 12 people who were "abducted in the middle of the night", ahead of planned protests.
Those who are believed to have been taken include bloggers, content creators, human rights defenders, a doctor, and a parliamentary staffer, Amnesty Kenya executive director Irũngũ Houghton told CNN.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission has also shared a video of officers shooting at protesters, and said they would be held to account.
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