Kenyan authorities prohibit demonstration on eve of protest milestone

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Kenyan Police said it would not allow a planned march in Nairobi on Tuesday to mark an annual day of protest, with heavy security deployments disrupting traffic.

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Demonstrations have traditionally been held on July 7 to commemorate the day in 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-President Daniel arap Moi. It has become known as “Saba Saba Day”.

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Over the past two years, “Saba Saba” (meaning “seven seven”) has merged with broader protests against the government of President William Ruto, accused of corruption, economic mismanagement and police violence.

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At least 38 people died across Kenya, and hundreds were arrested in protests on July 7 last year, according to a police watchdog.

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This year, the government has taken no chances with protests, using heavy police deployments to prevent even small gatherings.

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A group called the Economic Justice Movement notified police of plans to hold a peaceful procession in Nairobi, sharing the notice on social media.

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Yet police denied receiving any notice and said any procession would be illegal, while warning of added checkpoints around the city.

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“Any unlawful acts shall be met with the full force of the law,” it said in a statement.

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The Economic Justice Movement said they had wanted to draw attention to “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and police brutality, but also an escalating economic crisis and declining opportunities for millions of young people and families”.

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Even without the heavy police presence, it is likely that protests would draw much smaller crowds than in previous years.

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Many people say they are too scared of police violence after at least 127 people were killed during protests in June-July 2024 and a similar period in 2025, according to figures from the police watchdog.

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“There’s a general sense of exhaustion,” local rights group organiser Wanjira Wanjiru, of the Mathare Social Justice Centre, told AFP.

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AFP

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