Police fired tear gas at protesters in Kenya's capital Nairobi and other parts of the country on Friday to break up demonstrations called by the opposition against newly imposed taxes.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga's Azimio alliance has called for the demonstrations to protest a new law that sees new or increased taxes on fuel and food, and introduced a housing levy for taxpayers.

Addressing some 2,000 supporters outside Nairobi's main business district, Odinga accused the government of failing to tackle the high cost of living.

What happened during the protests?

Odinga, who lost against President William Ruto in the tight 2022 race, announced during the rally plans to launch a petition to remove his rival from office. The opposition leader is hoping to collect 10 million signatures.

"Kenyans elected leaders to parliament and they have betrayed them," the French AFP news agency quoted him as saying. "Ruto himself who took over power illegally has betrayed Kenyans."

Police in Nairobi arrested over 20 people by midday, Police Commander Adamson Bungei said.

Protesters barricaded sections of two roads, the private Daily Nation newspaper reported, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse them.

Police also used tear gas to break up the protesters in the port city of Mombasa. People were seen on local television chanting: "the struggle is not over."

Why are Kenyans protesting?

It comes as Kenyans struggle with a biting cost-of-living crisis.

"[President William] Ruto is imposing taxes on us without our consent and making laws whose net effect is to make life increasingly difficult," Odinga's Azimio said in a statement issued earlier this week.

President Ruto's government argues that the tax hikes are integral to addressing the country's growing debt repayments and funding job-creating initiatives.

The taxes are projected to annually raise an extra $1.42 billion (roughly €1.3 billion) for the cash-strapped country.

Kenya's High Court ordered that the tax hikes be suspended but the government has raised petrol prices anyway

The opposition senator who had initially lodged the case at the High Court is now seeking a jail sentence for the head of the energy sector regulator, accusing him of contempt.

The court is due to rule on the contempt application on Monday.

rmt/lo (AFP, AP, Reuters)