Kenyans living in the Nairobi Metropolitan area are facing major disruptions this morning after police mounted heavy barricades across key roads and access points leading to the Central Business District (CBD), ahead of the Saba Saba protests.
Multiple entry routes to the city have been sealed off, with a visible and overwhelming police presence in several strategic locations, including the Nyayo Stadium junction, Pangani, Kenyatta Hospital roundabout, and along roads leading to State House.
Motorists and commuters have been left stranded or forced to turn back after encountering barricades and roadblocks at:
Thika Road – blocked at Pangani
Kiambu Road – closed at the DCI Headquarters
Kangundo Road – barricaded at Mama Lucy Hospital
Jogoo Road – sealed off at Hamza Inn
Waiyaki Way – blocked near Kangemi flyover
Mombasa Road – inaccessible at Nyayo Stadium
Ngong Road – closed at City Mortuary roundabout
The security clampdown has also disrupted public transportation, with many matatus terminating their routes far from the city center. Businesses, especially in the CBD, have remained closed as traders express fear of possible violence or vandalism.
The Saba Saba demonstrations, named after the historic July 7 movement that birthed Kenya’s push for multiparty democracy in the 1990s, have been called by activists and sections of the opposition to protest against the rising cost of living and what they term as growing authoritarianism by the state.
The government has not officially declared the protests illegal but has deployed security forces in what insiders say is a preventive measure to “maintain peace and order.”
As Nairobi braces for what could be a day of confrontation, human rights groups have urged police to exercise restraint and allow peaceful protests to proceed in accordance with Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate, and picket.
