NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi CBD Shuts Down: Yesterday the capital’s Central Business District came to a near-total standstill following an unprecedented, multi-layered security lockdown mounted by anti-riot police to restrict planned nationwide memorial processions.
The extensive security operations, which marked the second anniversary of the historic June 25, 2024 Gen Z anti-Finance Bill protests, culminated in the arrest of 355 individuals across the country.
The Capital Put Under Siege
From as early as dawn, major commuter arterial routes leading into the capital—including the Thika Superhighway, Waiyaki Way, Jogoo Road, and the Ongata Rongai route—were heavily choked by police checkpoints. Anti-riot officers systematically blocked public service vehicles and turned back motorists, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
Within the CBD, usually bustling commercial streets such as Koinange, Kimathi, and Muindi Mbingu remained completely shuttered as traders kept away over safety concerns. In an unusual sight, the normally gridlocked highway lanes became improvised pitches where stranded youth played football and skated through the empty streets.
Harambee House Details Mass Arrests
Addressing the nation from Harambee House, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed the extensive scale of the state’s security clampdown. While praising the relative calm and the lack of widespread looting or infrastructural vandalism, Murkomen revealed that security forces had arrested 355 individuals.
Nairobi recorded the highest level of police enforcement with 161 arrests, followed by Kajiado with 123, and Kiambu with 36.
“Security agencies mounted screening operations based on intelligence that criminal elements intended to infiltrate the city centre and disrupt peace,” Murkomen defended the heavy state presence. He noted that those arrested will face charges ranging from malicious damage to property, obstruction of public roads, and attempted theft.
Clashes Near Parliament
Despite the heavy restrictions, pockets of confrontations broke out as small groups of protesters and families of victims of past protests attempted to march toward the heavily barricaded Parliament building to demand justice and transparent compensation. Police deployed rounds of tear gas to disperse crowds gathering along City Stadium and sections of Uhuru Highway.
Human rights groups, including the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), closely monitored the situation, raising concerns over the highly restrictive blockades and demanding that the constitutional right to peaceful assembly under Article 37 be fiercely protected by the state. newsportal.co.ke
