Kenya's president called the storming of parliament on Tuesday a national security threat and vowed that such unrest won't happen again at whatever cost.
President William Ruto spoke in a national address hours after part of the parliament building was burned as thousands of protesters against a new finance bill pushed their way in and legislators fled. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades.
Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the complex where police had opened fire, and medical workers reported five others killed. Clashes spread to other cities.
"Today's events mark a critical turning point on how we respond to threats to our national security," Ruto said, calling the events treasonous. Kenya's defence 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 the 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.
But lawmakers voted to pass the bill, then fled through a tunnel as protesters, many of them youth, outmanoeuvred police to enter. The fire was later put out.
At least five people were shot dead while treating the wounded, the Kenya Medical Association and other groups said in a joint statement. It said more than 30 people were wounded, at least 13 with live bullets. Police had fired live ammunition and threw tear gas canisters at protesters who sought treatment at a medical tent at a nearby church.
One person shot dead was wrapped in a Kenyan flag and carried away. Another lay on the sidewalk, their head in the gutter. Elsewhere in town, Kenyatta National Hospital said it received 45 victims."
Internet service in the country noticeably slowed in what NetBlocks called a major disruption," and at least one broadcaster issued a statement saying that we have received threats from the authorities to shut us down."
Ruto was outside Nairobi attending an African Union retreat. He had been expected to sign the finance bill into law this week. He has two weeks to act.
The office of the Nairobi governor, a member of the ruling party, was also briefly on fire, smoke pouring from its white facade. The office is near parliament. Police water cannons were used to extinguish the fire.
Protesters could be heard shouting, We're coming for every politician."
The Kenya Human Rights Commission shared a video of officers shooting at protesters, and it urged Ruto to issue an immediate order to stop the killings.
On Sunday, Ruto tried to calm the rising public tensions, saying he was proud of the young Kenyans who came out to exercise their democratic duty in earlier protests. The politician who had promoted himself as a hustler from humble beginnings said he would engage them on their concerns.
Youth had announced they were uniting to keep the government in check as prices for fuel, food and other necessities have soared. In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a major United Nations complex, the 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 Ruto felt betrayed.
As throngs of protesters rushed through the streets Tuesday, defiance emerged elsewhere in the country including in the town where Ruto was, Naivasha, as protesters chanted Ruto must go.
Protesters tried to storm the State House in the western city of Nakuru, a witness said. There were clashes in the western lakeside city of Kisumu. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city, joined protesters outside his office and expressed his support for them.
Protesters burned ruling party offices in Embu in central Kenya, the Nation newspaper reported. Citizen TV showed footage from Nyeri in central Kenya with police confronting protesters in the smoking streets.
