Kenyan police on Tuesday declared that a planned protest march in Nairobi to mark the annual Saba Saba Day would not be allowed, as authorities deployed heavy security across the capital, disrupting movement and traffic.
Observed every July 7, Saba Saba commemorates the 1990 pro-democracy protests that challenged the one-party rule of former President Daniel arap Moi.
The day, whose name means “seven seven” in Swahili, has increasingly become a platform for wider demonstrations against the government of President William Ruto.
In recent years, protesters have accused the government of corruption, economic mismanagement and police brutality.
According to Kenya’s police oversight body, at least 38 people were killed and hundreds arrested during demonstrations held on July 7 last year.
Determined to avoid a repeat of previous unrest, security agencies mounted a strong presence across Nairobi this year, effectively preventing even small public gatherings.
The Economic Justice Movement had earlier informed police of its intention to stage what it described as a peaceful procession in the city and shared the notification on social media.
However, police insisted they had not received any formal notice, declaring that any planned march would be unlawful. Authorities also announced additional security checkpoints around Nairobi.
“Any unlawful acts shall be met with the full force of the law,” police said in a statement.
The Economic Justice Movement said the planned demonstration was intended to highlight “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”.
Despite the tensions, turnout was expected to be lower than in previous years, with many Kenyans expressing fears over possible violence.
Figures from the police watchdog indicate that at least 127 people were killed during protest crackdowns between June and July in 2024 and during a similar period in 2025.
“There’s a general sense of exhaustion,” local rights group organiser Wanjira Wanjiru of the Mathare Social Justice Centre told AFP.
