At least three people were said to have died after police reportedly shot at a mob looting a supermarket in Kajiado County in Kenya.

Police said they arrested no fewer than 50 people during a sting operation on Thursday night at the Clean Shelf Supermarket.

According to Hussein Aduba, sub-county police commander of Kajiado North, the chaos in the area lasted for most of the afternoon.

The looters took advantage of the ongoing anti-tax protests in the country to raid and vandalise shops.

Abduba said they overpowered the unarmed security guards outside the supermarket and made away with goods.

By the time the police arrived, most of the looters had fled on motorbikes and on foot.

“We managed to arrest at least 50 people who were caught looting the supermarket and other shops in the area,” he said.

Abduba denied reports of deaths. However, Nation, a Kenyan newspaper, reported obtaining photographs from the scene.

Reports alleged that the police deployed live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators.

Panicky shoppers locked themselves in cold rooms, only coming out after tear gas was fired into the building.

One woman was also discovered hiding inside a freezer.

On Tuesday, protesters looted and burnt shops linked to members of parliament.

An ensuing tussle between the looters and the police resulted in tear gas shots and a fire outbreak.