"It is heartbreaking that we had to get to a point where people had to occupy parliament for our leaders to listen to us," Jim India, a Gen Z activist and legal practitioner in Kenya, told DW.

On Tuesday young protesters breached security and stormed Kenya's parliament, where lawmakers had just passed a controversial tax bill. They set part of the building on fire and engaged anti-riot police in running battles that gripped the nation.

According to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), at least 23 people were killed during the protests when police moved in to stop them.

Faced with mounting pressure from the protesters, President William Ruto told the nation that he would not sign the tax bill into law and called on the demonstrators to negotiate, but they are now demanding Ruto's resignation.

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"It feels like he was cornered and forced to [not sign the tax bill] this," India said, adding that the president conceded not out of goodwill or good conscience. "He's out of options."

President Ruto came to power on September 13, 2022, promising Kenyans that he would lift them out of poverty by lowering the cost of living and creating jobs for young people. The Federation of Kenya Employers estimates that the unemployment rate of 15 to 34-year-olds in the country is as high as........

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