‘We Fear for Our Lives’: Kisumu Activists Explain Absence from Saba Saba Protests
Human rights activists said they had intended to hold peaceful protests but called them off after receiving reports that criminal gangs, commonly referred to as "goons", could infiltrate the demonstrations..
✨ Key Highlights
Kisumu experienced an unusual calm during the annual Saba Saba commemorations, with activists cancelling planned protests due to fears of infiltration by criminal gangs and a lack of government security guarantees.
- Activists cited fears for their lives, deaths, and injuries as reasons for staying off the streets, stating the government had failed to guarantee their security.
- Willy Otiende and Brenda Beverly of the Kondele Social Justice Center highlighted concerns over enforced disappearances and the weak implementation of laws addressing gender-based violence.
- The activists emphasized that the calm reflected fear rather than satisfaction, stressing the importance of citizens being able to exercise constitutional freedoms without intimidation.
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Saba Saba Day: IG Kanja Conducts Security Assessment in Nairobi, Kiambu - July 2026
Following the commemoration of Saba Saba Day, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja led a security assessment in parts of Nairobi and Kiambu counties, which saw heightened police presence and traffic disruptions. Kisumu experienced an unusual calm during the annual Saba Saba commemorations, with activists cancelling planned protests due to fears of infiltration by criminal gangs and a lack of government security guarantees. Veterans of Kenya's 1990 Saba Saba struggle for democracy drew parallels between the historic pro-democracy protests and recent nationwide security crackdowns, arguing that the fight for accountable governance remains incomplete.
