Kenya's parliament approved a contentious Finance Bill on Tuesday that pushes up taxes as police and protesters clashed in the streets of the capital Nairobi and other cities, The EastAfrican reports. Police used tear gas and water cannon and also fired over the heads of demonstrators to disperse crowds, while some protesters hurled stones at security forces, witnesses said. As reported, riot police sealed off the parliament as lawmakers debated the tax bill, and State House, site of the president's office and residence. The parliament approved the measures before adjourning as protesters swarmed outside the building. The protesters oppose tax rises in a country already reeling from a cost-of-living crisis but many are also calling for President William Ruto to step down. This is my first protest, said Sonia, 37, a digital marketer in Nairobi. The other years I didn't really feel a need to come out but it's (taxes) really affecting my business. Ruto won an election two years ago on a platform of championing Kenya's working poor, but has been caught between the competing demands of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, which is urging the government to cut deficits to access more funding, and a hard-pressed population.
