A Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), commonly known as a sound cannon, was among the crowd-control equipment seen during the June 25 Gen Z protests last week.
Originally developed for military and maritime security operations, the device has since been adopted by law enforcement agencies in several countries for crowd management and public address.
Unlike conventional loudspeakers, the LRAD projects sound in a narrow, focused beam, making it significantly louder for people directly in front of it than for those positioned on the sides.
The technology is designed to broadcast clear voice instructions over long distances, allowing security personnel to communicate with large crowds in noisy environments.
The June 25 demonstrations marked one of the first widely reported public deployments of the technology in Kenya.
Its use sparked public debate over the methods employed in policing protests and renewed discussions on balancing public safety, effective crowd management and the protection of constitutional rights during demonstrations.
