Obama’s half-sister is gassed live on CNN during a protest in Kenya (video)

Auma Obama is tear gassed by police while giving an interview. There are reports of kidnappings and missing persons.

Auma Obama, the half-sister of former US President Barack Obama, was tear gassed by police during a live interview with CNN, while protesting against Kenya’s controversial finance law, on Tuesday.

“I can’t even see anymore, we’re being tear gassed,” Obama said in dramatic photos captured by a CNN team at the scene.

Obama, a Kenyan-British activist, was speaking to CNN’s Larry Madowo alongside a group of young protesters when the group was tear gassed in Nairobi.

Kenya faces nationwide protests against proposed tax increases, culminating in a “total lockdown” of the country.

The demonstrations, which broke out over the 2024 Finance Bill, prompted citizens to demonstrate under the slogan “7 Days of Anger,” at a time when the country is facing more days of unrest.

“I’m here to make you see what’s happening. Young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights. They’re demonstrating with flags and signs,” Obama said.

President William Ruto said he intends to engage in dialogue with the protesters and that he is “proud” of them. However, security forces have been accused of kidnapping prominent Kenyans, especially those with large social media followings.

Amnesty International Kenya said it was investigating the whereabouts of 12 people who were “kidnapped in the middle of the night” before Tuesday’s protests.

After a week of street protests against tax increases proposed in the 2024 Finance Bill, organizers declared “7 days of rage” and called for a “total lockdown” of Kenya on Tuesday.

The list includes bloggers, content creators, human rights defenders, a doctor and a parliamentary staffer, Irongo Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, told CNN.

“We are horrified by some of the testimonies we’ve heard over the last 24 hours. We have about a dozen people missing who were captured, in many cases, by people in uniform or not in uniform,” Houghton said, adding that they had not received help. Legal and their families do not know their whereabouts.

“We are now witnessing not only kidnappings, but also disappearances,” he added.

CNN has contacted Kenyan police for comment.

The protests come as Kenya’s position gains global importance, with US President Joe Biden on Monday designating the country as a “major non-NATO ally”, the first time a sub-Saharan African country has achieved that status.

In May, Biden announced his decision to raise Kenya to this designation when he welcomed President Ruto to the White House for a major state visit, celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.