- Joined
- Jul 17, 2012
- Messages
- 478
- Points
- 0
Kenyan police fire teargas at protest over MPs' pay demands
Riot policemen hit protestors participating in a demonstration against lawmakers' salary demands outside the parliament buildings in the capital Nairobi, May 14, 2013.
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
NAIROBI | Tue May 14, 2013 8:17am EDT
(Reuters) - Kenyan police in riot gear fired teargas and water cannon on Tuesday to disperse about 200 protesters gathered outside parliament to demonstrate against lawmakers' salary demands.
Civil rights groups organized the protest, drumming up support through social media, to highlight Kenyans' anger that politicians are demanding higher pay so soon after a broadly peaceful election on March 4.
The organizers said the "Occupy Parliament" march, was meant to help expose the political class in East Africa's largest economy widely regarded as greedy and corrupt.
Protesters gave live pigs pig blood to feed on at the gates of parliament in the capital Nairobi to symbolize legislators who they dubbed "MPigs".
"We have spilled the blood of the pigs to show that the MPs are greedy like pigs," said Boniface Mwangi before he and other organizers were arrested by police.
(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Louise Ireland)
