Protesters breach Kenya parliament, destroy properties and burn down section of the parliament (videos)

Kenyan protesters have breached parliament barricades and entered the complex where lawmakers were debating tax hike proposals that have sparked widespread anger in the country.

The protesters had demanded that legislators vote against the controversial bill imposing new taxes on a country where frustrations over the high cost of living have simmered for years.

On Tuesday, June 25, hundreds of protesters broke through barriers erected by the police outside parliament in the capital Nairobi, with police firing live rounds and leaving “many wounded”, according to Amnesty International Kenya.

The protesters entered parliament shortly after legislators voted to pass the bill. Lawmakers fled through a tunnel, but protesters reportedly allowed opposition legislators who voted against the bill to walk out of the besieged building.

While there, the protesters vandalized several government properties and set fire to a section of the parliament.