Protesters scatter as Kenyan police spray water canon at them during a protest over proposed tax hikes in a finance bill in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday.
Kenya's government had no immediate comment, and internet service in the country noticeably slowed. Ruto was outside Nairobi attending an African Union retreat. He had been expected to sign the finance bill into law this week and has two weeks to act. But youth last week announced they were uniting to keep the government in check as prices for fuel, basic foods and other necessities have soared. In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a major United Nations complex, the inequality among Kenyans has sharpened along with long-held frustrations over state corruption.
Protesters tried to storm the State House in the western city of Nakuru, a witness said. There were clashes in the western lakeside city of Kisumu. The governor of Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city, joined protesters outside his office and expressed his support for them.