At least five protesters were shot dead and scores injured inside the parliamentary premises on Tuesday as Kenyan youths made good their threat to storm the National Assembly to underline their opposition to Finance Bill that has elicited strong opposition from the public.

The storming of parliament happened minutes after MPs passed the controversial  bill.

Members of Parliament were marooned inside the debating chambers as a section of the premises were set ablaze by demonstrators who accused the legislators of betrayal and passing the controversial bill. The MPs scampered to safety and protesters forced their way into the buildings.

Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi was seen being evacuated in an ambulance. It was not immediately known if he was injured.

Security at State House was immediately beefed UP as fears rose that the demonstrators would head there after overrunning Parliament.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon an attempt to disperse the demonstrators in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and other cities on Tuesday as millions took to the streets to protest against proposed tax hikes.

The rising civil disobedience in the East African nation has already elicited panic at home and abroad as President William Ruto’s two year old government is tested. Throughout the protests in major towns – even villages – and heated debate in parliament, the publicity savvy president remained unusually with his communication team not giving much away on his whereabouts.

Outside parliament, a number of protesters were shot and injured. Similar incidents were reported in the coastal city Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kericho. The number of injured protesters was not immediately known.

Police units sealed off access to the National Assembly premises to keep off thousands of angry youths who accuse the president of betrayal and condoning corruption, cramming public service with unqualified staff from his Kalenjin community, in addition to a cabal of henchmen have a history of abuse of office and theft of public resources.

Ruto rode to power on the crest of an economic revolution, promising creation jobs. On assuming the reins power, Ruto – a globe-trotter – has been promising young Kenyans expatriate jobs in Europe, Asia and the United States, but has so far delivered to the chagrin the young generation call itself Gen-Z.

The sealing of parliament – where lawmakers were debating the tax bill and State House, sit of the president’s power and residence – was a precautionary move following fears the youths would break into the highly guarded institutions and evict the leaders.

Speaking to Tell Media from Washington, USA, journalist and former political advisor to opposition leader Raila Odinga Salim said that while President Joe Biden’s administrations has not commented on the events in Kenya, there were fears the unfolding situation might get out of hand and force Ruto quit.

“I’ve have lost routine contact with Washington Kenya establishment. But of course Washington would be unhappy with anti-Ruto demos. A Kenyan friend in London wrote to me saying US must be troubled as this unrest will put a temporary dent in its wholesale purchase of Kenya! But you would know more about this….” Lone said.

In Nairobi, a retired US Marine Andrew Franklin expressed similar concerns and described American ambassador in Nairobi Margaret Cushing Whitman as a diplomat out of tune with the prevailing situation.

“Disaster looming…Fraught week looming…. Amb Meg and her sycophants in State Dept and White House….,” Franklin responded when asked to clarify what he meant by “disaster” and who was worried about the political developments in Kenya.

On Sunday, Ruto put on a brave face and promised to dialogue with the angry Kenyan youths after his visit to a church in central Kenya was cut short following tension. The president’s lavish lifestyle has elicited widespread resentment and calls for his censure have been growing after he spent Ksh200 million ($1.6 million) on a chartered flight to the US in May. Ruto took on board his wife and children, comedians and other joy-riders, leaving behind thousands of protesting unemployed teachers, doctors, nurses and medical lab technicians.

according to wire news agency Reuters,organisers have called for protests and a general strike against the tax legislation hoping to build on momentum that has in the span of a week turned an online, youth-led movement into a major headache for the government. Protesters also called for President William Ruto to leave office.

Ruto won an election almost two years ago on a platform of championing Kenya’s working poor, but has been caught between the competing demands of lenders like the International Monetary Fund, which is urging the government to cut deficits, and a population reeling from rising costs of living.

As protesters rallied on Tuesday, police fired tear gas in the Central Business District and the Kibera shantytown, Reuters journalists said. Hundreds also marched through the streets of the coastal city of Mombasa, in Kisumu, a port city on Lake Victoria, and other towns, Kenyan television showed.

Police dispersed anyone gathering in streets around the parliament in Nairobi.

“This is my first protest,” said Sonia, 37, a digital marketer. “The other years I didn’t really feel a need to come out but it’s (taxes) really affecting my business.”

Many things were washed away.

“Most times when Kenyans protest it’s violent, but no one is looting. The cops are the ones who are beating us for no reason,” she said.

Citizen TV showed one person, possibly injured, being carried away by other protesters.

Despite the police actions, there was a generally festive atmosphere in several areas in the first hours of the protests.

Music played from loudspeakers and protesters waved Kenyan flags and blew whistles. In one area, waitresses from a pizza restaurant threw bottles of water to demonstrators.

People chanted “Ruto must go” and crowds sang in Swahili: “All can be possible without Ruto”.

Police did not respond to requests for comment. Thousands had taken to the streets of Nairobi and several other cities during two days of protests last week.

Although last week’s protests were almost entirely peaceful, police repeatedly fired tear gas and water cannon. Two people were killed, with one struck by a gunshot and another by a tear gas canister, human rights groups said.

In remarks on Sunday, Ruto praised the protesters, saying they had been peaceful and that the government would engage with them on the way forward.

While protesters initially focused on the finance bill, their demands have broadened to demand Ruto’s resignation.

In parliament, lawmakers voted for the proposed amendments to the bill, including some that remove the more unpopular proposals, such as the motor vehicle tax.

The opposition declined to participate in the vote, shouting “reject, reject” when the house went through them one by one. The bill will then be subjected to a final vote by acclamation on the floor of the house.

The finance bill aims to raise an additional $2.7 billion in taxes as part of an effort to lighten the heavy debt load, with interest payments alone consuming 37 per cent of annual revenue.

The government has already made some concessions, promising in amendments to the bill to scrap proposed new taxes on bread, cooking oil, car ownership and financial transactions. But that has not been enough to satisfy protesters, who want the entire bill scrapped.

The finance ministry says the amendments would blow a 200 billion Kenyan shilling ($1.56 billion) hole in the 2024/25 budget, and compel the government to make spending cuts or raise taxes elsewhere.

“They are budgeting for corruption,” said protester Hussein Ali, 18. “We won’t relent. It’s the government that is going to back off. Not us.”

• A Tell report