NAIROBI, July 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fifty-three children were rushed to hospital in Nairobi after tear gas was thrown into their class by police during protests on Wednesday.
Dr Aron Shikuku from Eagle Nursing Home hospital said the children were released after being treated.
He said they had suffered breathing difficulties and shock.
There were demonstrations around the country called by the opposition over the rising cost of living, but they turned deadly.
Six people were killed, authorities said while human rights bodies put the number of dead at 12, with many more injured.
Two people died after protesters set fire to a police station, while another died during an attack on a police van along the Nairobi Expressway on the outskirts of the city, reports say.
The protests had been banned, but people took to the streets anyway, such is the anger amongst some Kenyans about the rising cost of living and a new finance bill – which includes tax increases.
The controversial hikes include the doubling of fuel taxes and the imposition of a 1.5% levy on all employees to fund new houses.
The government says the hikes are essential to pay off debts and create job opportunities for young people but the law has been suspended by a court over constitutional concerns.
These latest protests come after several people were killed during anti-government demonstrations last week, in which human rights groups accused the Kenyan police of using excessive force. — NNN-AGENCIES
