Kenya police on Tuesday blocked a planned Saba Saba Day march in Nairobi, arresting several protesters and deploying heavy security as tensions grow over police conduct, economic hardship and concerns about shrinking civic freedoms. The planned demonstration was organized by the Economic Justice Movement to mark July 7, 1990 known as Saba Saba Day, when Kenyans protested for the return of multi-party democracy. Police said organizers had not formally notified authorities about the march and declared the gathering unlawful. Officers set up roadblocks, deployed plainclothes security personnel and used unmarked vehicles to prevent protesters from assembling in the city center. Only a small number of demonstrators managed to gather before police moved in. Witnesses said several people were detained and taken away in police vehicles as they attempted to address the crowd. “Why should they deploy security like this? We have a right to protest,” protester Collins Otieno told journalists.
Saba Saba Day has historically represented Kenya’s struggle for democratic reforms, but in recent years it has become a platform for broader criticism of government policies, including rising living costs, corruption allegations and claims of police abuse. The latest protest restrictions follow a period of heightened tensions after deadly anti-government demonstrations in 2024 and 2025. Kenya’s police oversight body reported that at least 127 people were killed during periods of unrest linked to those protests. Human rights groups and activists say the crackdown reflects growing pressure on Kenya’s democratic space. Organisers of Tuesday’s march said they wanted to highlight alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and economic challenges affecting young people.
Analysts say fear of violence and arrests has also reduced public participation in protests, with many citizens remaining cautious after previous confrontations between demonstrators and security forces. Concerns over media freedom have also increased. President William Ruto has recently criticized The Standard Group PLC over its reporting, while press freedom organizations have called for investigations into allegations that a senior journalist from the newspaper narrowly escaped an attempted abduction. The events surrounding Saba Saba Day have renewed debate over the balance between maintaining public order and protecting the constitutional right to peaceful assembly in Kenya.
