Police lockdown: Strategy or fear?

Police keep vigil as motorists are diverted along barricaded Harambee Avenue, Nairobi during the Saba Saba Day commemorations on July 7,2026. [Elvis Ogina,Standard]

The heavy police lockdown witnessed during the second anniversary of the Gen Z protests and the Saba Saba commemorations has left many Kenyans questioning whether the security operation was a well-planned strategy to prevent violence or a sign of growing anxiety within the State.

Unlike previous years, when demonstrations drew large crowds and appeared better coordinated, this year's commemorations saw police mount  an unprecedented security operation that effectively sealed off key roads leading into Nairobi, drastically limiting movement and preventing protesters from converging in the city centre.