Nairobi woke up to a city under siege on the morning of July 7, 2025, as police roadblocks crippled movement in and out of the capital despite a standing court order barring the disruption of peaceful assemblies.
The blockade, widely viewed as a targeted attempt to suppress the anticipated Saba Saba demonstrations, drew immediate backlash from civil rights groups and the public alike.
The city’s key entry points, Ngong Road, Waiyaki Way, Thika Superhighway, and Mombasa Road, were clogged with vehicles as law enforcement personnel subjected commuters to heavy scrutiny. Buses were turned away, passengers interrogated, and in some cases, youth were ordered to disembark.
Many of those stopped were suspected of heading to the city centre to join the Gen Z-led protests demanding better governance, transparency, and constitutional reforms.
What sparked even greater fury was the blatant disregard of a prior High Court ruling that barred police from interfering with peaceful assemblies.
Human rights defenders, including prominent lawyer Gitonga Marete, condemned the clampdown as “a reckless violation of the right to protest and freedom of movement.”
Social media was ablaze with real-time updates. Hashtags like #NairobiLocked and #GenZUprising trended for hours as affected citizens shared images of long queues, abandoned cars, and confrontations with police officers. “What are they afraid of?” one X user asked. “A generation with placards and a voice?”
Meanwhile, Kenya Railways’ controversial suspension of the 10pm SGR train from Mombasa to Nairobi the night before, allegedly over “technical issues,” only added fuel to the fire. Many viewed it as a coordinated effort to block demonstrators from reaching the capital.
As the protests gain momentum, the government’s heavy-handed response continues to face both domestic and international scrutiny.
For many Kenyans, the events of Saba Saba 2025 are not just a disruption—they’re a turning point in the struggle for civic freedom.
