Five Ghanaian MPs and a clerk are reported to have been caught in the violence erupting in Kenya as the country’s citizens and young people have been protesting since last week over tax hikes.
According to a report by GH One News, MPs Emmanuel Gyamfi, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Thomas Ampem, Sylvester Tetteh, and Mohammed Tuferu, were in Kenya’s parliament when protesters besieged a section of the House on Tuesday.
CNN US breaking news: protesters breach Kenya parliament. CNN has seen at least 2 bodies after police used live rounds on demonstrators pic.twitter.com/384qJ1jwXg
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) June 25, 2024
An angry crowd broke through police lines to storm the parliamentary complex in the capital Nairobi – minutes later live TV footage showed smoke escaping from inside, the BBC reported.
The armed forces are being deployed onto the streets in various parts of the country in response to the “security emergency”, Kenyan Defence Minister Aden Duale said.
But the Ghanaian entourage escaped the chaos unhurt. The MPs who are part of the Local Government Committee are in Kenya for a study visit alongside delegations from Namibia and Malawi.
“We are safe in Nairobi. We were lucky to escape unhurt today. We, however, inhaled a bit of tear gas. We had to be escorted to a bunker and later to a safer place,” Nii Lantey Vanderpuye is quoted to have said.
The demonstration happening in Kenya has intensified as posters started the day threatening a “total shutdown.”
According to reports, the Nairobi governor’s office, city hall, and the country’s parliament this afternoon were all set ablaze.
Kenya’s President on Sunday agreed to have a “conversation” with the protesters. But Tuesday’s protests have reached a different level of chaos as five are reported to have been shot dead by state security.
On social media, where the protests had started initially, many are demanding the resignation of President William Ruto with hashtags, #RutoMustGo.
