Police check point./FILE
The National Police Service (NPS) has announced that it will set up enhanced security checkpoints on major roads across Nairobi on Tuesday, July 7.
The Service said the move is part of measures to maintain law and order during the annual Saba Saba commemoration.
In a statement issued on Monday, Police Spokesperson Michael Muchiri said the heightened security measures were informed by past experiences in which some demonstrations turned violent, leading to breaches of the peace and disruption of normal business activities.
“The National Police Service wishes to inform all members of the public that, in light of past experience during the Saba Saba commemoration, some members of the public have caused breaches of the peace, thereby interfering with the normal conduct of business for those not participating in the demonstrations,” the statement said.
Muchiri said the checkpoints would be used to regulate both pedestrian and vehicular movement within the city as police seek to prevent disorder and safeguard public safety.
There will be more police officers on the streets and in major towns such as Kitengela, Mlolongo, Rongai, Githurai and other areas.
Some parts of the city centre will be no-go zones.
Muchiri urged members of the public to cooperate with police officers and comply with security directives to help ensure peace and order prevail throughout the day.
The police also warned that anyone found engaging in unlawful acts would face legal action.
The annual Saba Saba commemoration, observed every year on July 7, has historically been marked by demonstrations calling for political and governance reforms, with authorities often deploying additional security personnel in anticipation of large crowds.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud said no one has formally notified the police of any planned protests in the capital on Tuesday, July 7, warning that any gathering held without the required notification will be treated as illegal.
Speaking after a meeting with top police commanders in Nairobi, Mohamud assured residents that security remains under control and urged the public to go about their normal activities.
“Tomorrow is a normal working day and public transport will not be affected, although there will be screening of vehicles entering the city. Of course we must do screening,” he said.
He added that there was no cause for alarm, saying, “There will be no problem at all. The day will be a normal working day.”
His remarks come amid heightened attention over the planned Saba Saba demonstrations scheduled for Tuesday.
However, a Nairobi-based lobby group, the Grassroots Economic Justice Movement, said it had already served a formal notice to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, the Nairobi Regional Police Commander and the Officer Commanding Central Police Station, informing them of its intention to hold peaceful protests.
According to the notice, between 1,000 and 3,000 participants are expected to march from Jeevanjee Gardens to Parliament Buildings, where they plan to present a petition demanding parliamentary intervention on alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and the excessive use of force by security agencies.
The organisation said the procession would be peaceful and that volunteer marshals would be deployed to help manage the crowd.
