ATLEAST five persons have died and many others injured in Kenya following the invasion of the country’s Parliament by protesters.

The protesters on Tuesday, June 25, set a part of the parliament on fire, while lawmakers were inside passing revisions to increase taxes.

In a chaotic scene, the protesters outnumbered the police, chasing them away as they sought to enter the Parliament premises.

Citizen TV (a Kenyan broadcast media) displayed the damage inside the Parliament building, which had been partially engulfed in flames.

Several other cities and towns across Kenya witnessed protests and clashes, with many citizens demanding the resignation of the  country’s President, William Ruto, and expressing their objections to the tax increases.

Addressing the nation, the President noted that the debate on the tax had been “hijacked by dangerous people”, describing the intrusion into parliament as an act of treason and vowed to take action against the organisers and financiers of the protests.

“It is not in order, or even conceivable, that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people.

“I hereby put on notice the planners, financiers, orchestrators, and abettors of violence and anarchy that the security infrastructure established to protect our Republic and its sovereignty will be deployed to secure the country and restore order and normalcy, Ruto said.

In Nairobi, police resorted to firing when tear gas and water cannon proved ineffective in dispersing the crowds after they succeeded in driving protesters away from the parliament building, and lawmakers were evacuated through an underground tunnel.