Kenyan police fire blanks to disperse protesters hours after parliament breached

Kenyan authorities have fired blanks to disperse protesters in a Nairobi suburb overnight, hours after parliament was stormed during deadly demonstrations.

Protesters burned parts of the building while legislators fled, as the country grapples with controversial tax increases.

Police said they fired more than 700 blanks in Githurai, a suburb east of the capital Nairobi.

Videos of gunfire piercing the night air were shared online and reported by local media.

Thousands of protesters stormed and burned a section of Kenya’s parliament on Tuesday to protest against tax proposals. Police responded with gunfire and several demonstrators were killed.

More than 100 people were injured in Tuesday’s protests, according to civil society groups. It is still unclear how many people were arrested.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply saddened by reports of deaths and injuries.

“I urge the Kenyan authorities to exercise restraint, and call for all demonstrations to take place peacefully,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

The unprecedented protests that breached parliament saw young people rallying against rising prices for fuel, food and other necessities.

In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a United Nations complex, inequality among Kenyans has sharpened along with long-held frustrations over state corruption.

Opposition to the finance bill has united a large part of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have torn Kenya apart in the past. Some who had passionately supported Mr Ruto felt betrayed.

A Kenyan newspaper, Daily Nation, called for dialogue. “Let’s reason together,” its front page said.

Citizen TV, a local broadcaster, led a discussion titled A Nation on the Brink, with panellists calling on the government to engage with the public.