Nearly 35 years ago, Kenyans engaged in civic protests across the nation to demand free elections and an end to the authoritarian one-party state regime. Decades later, the youth are in the streets trying to make their voices heard through the anti-government protests that have been happening for over a year.
The latest one was on Saba Saba on Monday, 7th July 2025, which was marked with death, looting, and abductions. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), in a press statement released on Monday evening, confirmed that at least ten people were dead, twenty-nine people were injured, and two have been abducted in seventeen counties across the country. The protests began on Monday morning but gained momentum at noon.
Heavy roadblocks were put on Kenyatta Avenue and Waiyaki Way to prevent protesters from accessing the Nairobi Central Business District and on major roads such as. Passengers who were using the Nairobi-Nakuru highway to get into the capital were met with thorough inspection from the officers.
Chaos erupted once protesters clashed with police officers, armed with stones, and the police officers with guns and rifles. Some were teargassed, and the unlucky ones were shot and killed, and lost their lives. Elvis Mutai, who was shot in the chest on his way from work, is among the victims, and a fourteen-year-old boy whose injuries proved fatal also lost his life. Business owners were left counting their losses after their stores and shops were broken into and items of unknown value were either stolen or destroyed.
In Kajiado County, a fleet of Subaru Outback vehicles with no registration numbers stormed the streets and wreaked havoc in Ng’ong and Kangemi towns. The men wore masks and seemed to be organized. They ended up shooting and killing at least three people and abducting two men.
In the aftermath, Nairobi was effectively placed under lockdown, major roads were blocked, schools and universities transitioned to remote learning, and public gatherings were restricted to maintain order. The Interior Cabinet Secretary defended the deployment, emphasizing that strong security measures helped curb “lawlessness,” though critics claimed such measures trampled constitutional rights and harmed innocent citizens.
An official statement falsely attributing foreign agitators to the unrest was also discredited by the National Police Service, which clarified it was not their release. As a result of the violence, authorities and rights organizations are now facing increased pressure to investigate police conduct, hold officers accountable, and consider reforms to protest and crowd-control laws before the nation commemorates July 7 again.
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