Police Open Fire on Protesters in Kenya

Thousands of protesters stormed Kenya's parliament Tuesday to protest tax proposals, burning part of the building, sending lawmakers fleeing, and drawing fire from police in unrest that the president vowed to quash. Several people were killed. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades, the AP reports. Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the complex where police had opened fire, and medical workers reported five people killed. Clashes spread to other cities. There was no immediate word on arrests.

• "Today's events mark a critical turning point on how we respond to threats to our national security," President William Ruto said, calling the events "treasonous" and vowing to quash the unrest "at whatever cost." Kenya's defense minister said the military had been deployed to support police during the "security emergency" and "breaching of critical infrastructure."

• Protesters had demanded that legislators vote against a finance bill imposing new taxes on East Africa's economic hub, where frustrations over the high cost of living have simmered. Youth who had voted Ruto into power with cheers for his promises of economic relief have taken to the streets to object to the pain of reforms.
• Lawmakers managed to pass the bill before fleeing through a tunnel as protesters outmaneuvered police and poured in. The fire at the building was later put out.
• The Kenya Medical Association said in a statement that at least five people were fatally shot while trying to treat wounded people at the scene. It said more than 30 people were wounded, at least 13 with live bullets. Police fired live ammunition and threw tear gas canisters at protesters who sought treatment at a medical tent at a nearby church. Elsewhere in town, Kenyatta National Hospital said it received 45 casualties.

• Kenya Law Society President Faith Odhiambo said earlier Tuesday that 50 Kenyans, including her personal assistant, had been "abducted" by people believed to be police officers. Some had been vocal in the demonstrations and were taken from homes, workplaces, and public spaces ahead of Tuesday's protests, according to civil society groups.
• A statement by diplomats from 13 Western countries, including the United States, said they were "shocked" by the scenes outside parliament and expressed concern about the violence and abductions of protesters.

(More Kenya stories.)