Nairobi is locked down as Kenyan police clash with protesters and 10 are
killed
[July 08, 2025]
By EVELYNE MUSAMBI and INAARA GANGJI
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya clashed with demonstrators Monday
during the latest anti-government protests, killing 10 people, according
to the state-funded human rights commission. Authorities blocked major
roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, and most businesses closed amid
the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest.
Protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police. Police fired and
hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. Young men carried
another man, his shirt drenched in blood, saying he had been shot. The
protests were reported in 17 of 47 counties.
Kenyan youth and others for weeks have been protesting police brutality
and poor governance while demanding President William Ruto’s resignation
over alleged corruption and the high cost of living.
July 7, known as Saba Saba, is a significant date in Kenya’s history,
marking the first major protests 35 years ago that called on
then-President Daniel arap Moi — Ruto's mentor — for a transition from a
one-party state to a multiparty democracy, which was realized in the
1992 elections. Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven.
Police officers on Monday stopped private and public vehicles from
accessing Nairobi's city center. They also blocked most pedestrians from
entering the capital, only allowing those deemed to have essential
duties. Roads leading to parliament — stormed in a protest last year —
and the president’s office were barricaded using razor wire.
“There is no reversing the Gen Z Saba Saba-like spirit,” said Macharia
Munene, professor of history and international relations at United
States International University Africa in Nairobi. “Attempt to
criminalize protests is reactive and will not work. It instead makes the
government appear retrogressive and desperate enough to subvert the
constitution.”
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that the government
would not tolerate violent protests and police would be deployed to
ensure public safety. Last month, Murkomen told police to “shoot on
sight” anyone who approaches police stations during protests after
several had been burned.
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Riot police scatter protesters with water canons during
demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word
that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in the
Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP
Photo/Brian Inganga)
Public Service Minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government
employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the
demonstrations would not disrupt public services.
In Kitengela town in Nairobi's outskirts, police fired tear gas to
disperse protesters who had lit bonfires on the road that connects
to neighboring Tanzania.
“They have blocked the roads, blocking us from our work. I am a
roadside vendor and I am supposed to get to town and buy merchandise
to sell along the road," said protester Caleb Okoth. "What do they
want us to eat? People are being beaten like dogs for protesting for
their rights.”
Kenya's latest wave of violent demonstrations was sparked by calls
for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police
custody last month. During protests on June 17, a police officer
shot a civilian at close range, further angering the public.
On June 25, at least 19 people were killed and more than 400 injured
during protests against police brutality that were timed to coincide
with the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests where parliament
was stormed and over 60 people lost their lives.
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