Thousands of young Kenyans protest tax hikes

Police Nairobi fired tear gas and water cannon against protesters near parliament, but apart from isolated scuffles earlier in the day and some groups setting fire to tyres and road signs around dusk, the demonstrations remained mostly peaceful.

The demonstrations -- dubbed "Occupy Parliament" -- began in Nairobi on Tuesday before spreading nationwide on Thursday.

They have galvanised widespread discontent over President William Ruto's economic policies in a country grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. Protesters have turned to TikTok, Instagram and X to plan and livestream the demonstrations.

Hours after Tuesday's action, which saw hundreds of youth face off against the police, the cash-strapped government agreed to roll back several tax hikes laid out in a new bill.

But the government still intends to increase some taxes, defending the proposed levies as necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing.

On Thursday, thousands assembled across Nairobi, the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa, the Rift Valley city of Nakuru and the opposition bastion of Kisumu.

Several organisations, including Amnesty International Kenya, said in a statement that at least 135 people were arrested across the country, and at least 200 were injured in the Nairobi.

The Kenyan Red Cross said on X that eight were in critical condition.

Isolated clashes broke out in Nairobi between protesters and police, who used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators near parliament, which began debating the tax bill on Wednesday.

Despite a heavy police presence and closures along several roads leading to parliament, thousands of protesters gathered in groups, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas, singing the national anthem and chanting: "Ruto must go".

Margaret, a 23-year-old jobseeker, told AFP that she was "tired of being lied to" and being dismissed as a "keyboard warrior" by those in power.