A court in Kenya on Thursday approved a decision to send in the army as police backup, as protests continue against a controversial tax bill that the government has promised to withdraw.

While armoured military vehicles could be seen in the city, the court ruled in the evening that the deployment authorized by parliament was lawful in view of the outbreak of violence during the protests, which the police have not managed to bring under control.

The court rejected an appeal by a lawyers’ association.

On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators stormed parliament and set part of the building on fire.

However, Judge Lawrence Mugambi also warned of a “dangerous trend” that could lead to the militarization of the country. He also said deploying the military could intimidate the population.

“This can potentially muzzle the civilian population from protesting to what it believes are unfair taxation policies imposed by government and also put a wedge between [the] military and civilian population,” he said.

He therefore demanded precise information from the government within two days about the scope and duration of the operation.

The atmosphere was tense in Nairobi on Thursday.

Demonstrators were planning to march to State House, the official residence of President William Ruto, but were unable to do so as police cordoned off access roads. Police officers and military personnel were stationed throughout the city.

The streets around parliament 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 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,” the protester told the KTN television station.

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

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.