Kenya’s security forces have blocked all major roads to central Nairobi before planning nationwide protests.
Most of the downtown area is empty, businesses are closed and there is a heavy security presence on the streets. Some schools recommend that students stay at home.
Hundreds of morning commuters and overnight travelers were trapped at checkpoints, some at 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city center, allowing only a few vehicles.
Within the city, the roads leading to the main government sites – including the president’s official residence, the state parliament and the Kenyan parliament – are blocked with razors.
Police said in a statement issued Sunday night that it is their constitutional obligation to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.
Monday’s protests, known as Saba Saba (Swahili on July 7), commemorate the struggle for multilateral democracy in Kenya in the 1990s.
These demonstrations were organized primarily by so-called young people, demanding good governance, greater responsibility and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in the wave of anti-government protests that began last year.
On June 25, at least 19 people were killed, and thousands of businesses were robbed and destroyed on a day of national protests in honor of those killed in last year’s anti-tax protests.
Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports saying “fools” accused of robbing and attacking protesters. Civil society groups accused collusion between these groups and police – Police strongly denied the charges.
An armed gang attacked the headquarters of the Nairobi Human Rights NGO on Sunday. The Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has been hosting a press conference by women’s organizations ahead of a protest on Monday.
KHRC spokesman Ernest Cornel said the gang was chanted by at least 25 people riding motorcycles, “There will be no protest today.”
He told the BBC Newsday plan: “They were carrying stones and were carrying clubs… They stole laptops, stole a phone, and took some valuables from journalists from there.”
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Sabasaba protests, a critical moment that has helped usher in a multi-party democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.
The response of the then-government under President Daniel Arap Moi was cruel. Many protesters were arrested and at least 20 people were reportedly killed.
Since then, Saba Saba has symbolized Kenya’s civil resistance and struggle for democracy and freedom.
Long-distance buses are parked away from the city center [Anthony Irungu / BBC]
By mid-Monday, hundreds of overnight passengers were still stranded outside the city center, with major roads still closing.
Some long-distance buses park in the Caberte area about 13 kilometers from the city center, and many passengers can’t afford to pay extra money for motorcycle rides to their destinations.
Bus driver Humphrey Gumbishi said they had already started their journey Sunday night but found police roadblocks in the morning.
“We started traveling last night at 8:30 pm … we want the government to have a conversation with Gen Z so that all of this can end,” he told the BBC.
Elsewhere in the city, police face a group of people trying to break the safety cordon. Police fired tear gas at Thika Road and the small town of Kitengela in the outskirts of the capital to disperse people.
Near the site where the original Saba Saba protests were held in Kamukunji, police fought with a group of protesters igniting fires in the streets.
Most other parts of the country are quiet and some towns have reported some conflicts.
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