Three decades on, Saba Saba descends into blood and silence

Anti riot officers clearing the road after youths in Kitengela blocked it with stones during Saba Saba protests. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

The heavy deployment of police, barricading of national installations, and denial of access to Nairobi’s Central Business District spoke of an administration determined to suppress the Saba Saba protests at all costs.

As Kenyans turned out in large numbers to commemorate a day historically associated with pro-democracy resistance against former President Daniel arap Moi’s regime, police too flooded the streets in anticipation of unrest.

The sea of uniformed officers, the barricades around Parliament and State House, and the militarised lockdown pointed to the extraordinary lengths the government was willing to go to counter the demonstrations.

By the end of the day, at least 10 people had reportedly been shot and killed. The violent clashes once again laid bare the country’s mounting anger with President William Ruto’s administration. 

The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), in a strongly worded statement, condemned the violence and accused the state of illegally and brutally denying citizens their right to protest.

“The police must not facilitate or partner with the armed goons who have been terrorising Kenyans, but should instead arrest them—along with their financiers,” read part of the statement.

The NCCK also criticised the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over his recent shoot-to-kill orders, calling them an affront to Kenyans’ freedoms.

The council demanded that Murkomen withdraw the statement and be prepared “to carry responsibility for all extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the police”. 

So how did we get here?

The spark that ignited the latest wave of outrage was the alleged torture and killing of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’. In the days that followed, protests escalated into full-blown confrontations with police as young people took to the streets to express their fury.

The torching of Mawego Police Station on the eve of Ojwang’s burial was a defining moment. Mourners, carrying his casket, stormed the station and set part of it ablaze—an act that underscored the depth of public anger and heralded a pattern of increasingly direct clashes with state institutions ahead of Saba Saba. 

In recent weeks, several police stations were attacked across Nairobi, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Makueni, Kajiado, and Nakuru following the June 25, 2024 Gen Z anniversary protests.

In Nairobi, Dagoretti Police Post was set alight by protesters who reportedly stole five firearms—including two AK-47 rifles, a G3, an anti-riot gun, and a Jericho pistol. The office of the Dagoretti Deputy County Commissioner was also torched.

Villa Police Station in Embakasi was invaded by about 3,000 demonstrators who were armed with stones and crude weapons.

During the ensuing melee, a 19-year-old boy was shot dead.The fatal shooting angered the protestors who brought down the perimeter wall, burnt two civilian vehicles during the violence that left 10 officers injured.

Similar daring incidents were witnessed in various parts of the country as anti-riot police struggled to contain the protestors.