Police check point./FILE
The National Police Service (NPS) has enhanced security checkpoints on major roads across Nairobi as Kenyans commemorate Saba Saba day.
The service said the move is part of measures to maintain law and order during the annual Saba Saba commemoration.
Dozens of security checkpoints have been mounted on major roads in and around Nairobi as part of measures to maintain law and order during the annual Saba Saba commemoration.
Police said they took the moves to tame what they termed as suspected criminals who planned to misuse the day and disrupt businesses.
The most affected roads are those leading to the Nairobi city centre, around Parliament and State House.
Police stopped and checked motor vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians. Some of the road users complained of harassment and inconvenience.
There were more personnel on patrols.
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 are used to regulate both pedestrian and vehicular movement within the city as police seek to prevent disorder and safeguard public safety.
There are reports of police officers on the streets and in major towns such as Kitengela, Mlolongo, Rongai, Githurai, Waiyaki Way and other areas.
Some parts of the city centre have been declared to 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 on Monday that 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.
“Today 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.
