Despite the promised withdrawal of Kenya’s controversial tax bill, protests continued against the government of President William Ruto on Thursday, with gunfire reported in Nairobi.

The situation was tense in the capital, where demonstrators announced a march to State House, Ruto’s official residence.

Access roads were cordoned off over a wide area and numerous police officers and military personnel were stationed throughout the city.

Streets around Parliament, which was stormed by demonstrators on Tuesday, were also blocked off.

The first demonstrators gathered at midday in the centre of Nairobi, where many shops were barricaded. Television footage showed the police using tear gas against the crowds and shots were also heard.

Demonstrations also reportedly took place in other Kenyan cities.

In the third-largest city Kisumu, in western Kenya, several hundred people marched to the presidential lodge, another of Ruto’s official residences. There they gathered for a peaceful sit-in protest, the Nation newspaper reported.

In Mombasa, according to one demonstrator, violent criminals mingled with the protesters and attempted to loot shops. “They have nothing to do with us,” she told the KTN television station.

Violent scenes ensued in the past week as thousands joined the outcry against the taxation bill, which was aimed at helping alleviate Kenya’s deep public debt.

But protesters say the measure would impose unaffordable tax rises on ordinary citizens and businesses already weighed down by the high cost of living.

Ruto on Wednesday said in Nairobi that he would not sign the bill into law after clashes resulted in a number of deaths.