Nairobi: At least 13 people were killed in Kenya on Tuesday during protests against tax hikes, according to an official from the country's main doctors' association. The protests turned violent when police opened fire, AFP reported.

"So far, we have at least 13 people killed, but this is not the final number," Simon Kigondu, president of the Kenya Medical Association, said on Wednesday. He added that he had never seen "such level of violence against unarmed people."

Authorities fired blanks to disperse protesters in the Nairobi suburb of Githurai overnight on Wednesday, hours after protestors stormed parliament in deadly demonstrations. Parts of the parliament building were burned while legislators fled, as the country grapples with controversial tax increases.

Police stated that they fired over 700 blanks in Githurai, a suburb east of Nairobi. Videos of gunfire piercing the night air were shared online and reported by local media.

The military was deployed overnight to support police during the “security emergency” and patrolled the central business district on Tuesday night. President William Ruto called the events treasonous and vowed to quash the unrest “at whatever cost.”

Thousands of protesters stormed and burned a section of Kenya’s parliament on Tuesday to protest tax proposals. Police responded with gunfire, resulting in several fatalities.

More than 100 people were injured in Tuesday’s protests, according to civil society groups. The number of arrests remains unclear.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow over the reports of deaths and injuries. “I urge the Kenyan authorities to exercise restraint, and call for all demonstrations to take place peacefully,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

The unprecedented protests, which breached parliament, saw young people rallying against rising prices for fuel, food, and other necessities. In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a United Nations complex, inequality among Kenyans has sharpened alongside long-held frustrations over state corruption.

Opposition to the finance bill has united a significant portion of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have previously torn Kenya apart. Some who had passionately supported Ruto now feel betrayed.

A Kenyan newspaper, Daily Nation, called for dialogue. “Let’s reason together," its front page said.

Citizen TV, a local broadcaster, led a discussion titled “A Nation on the Brink” with panelists calling on the government to engage with the public.

AP, AFP