#Nairobi Locked Down: Government
Promises Crumble as Kenya Marks Two Years Since Gen Z Uprising*Two years ago today, a generation of young Kenyans changed the course of their country's history. On June 25, 2024, thousands of protesters armed with the Constitution and nothing else stormed Parliament in a moment that shocked the nation and the world. Today, as Kenyans prepare to mark that anniversary with flowers, marches, and remembrance, the government's response is telling a familiar and deeply troubling story.
Despite official assurances that this would be a normal working day, Nairobi tells a very different story this morning.
#A City Under Siege
As early as 6:40 a.m. on June 25, 2026, police had mounted roadblocks on several major roads in Nairobi ahead of the planned protests. The affected areas included Thika Road, Kiambu Road, Jogoo Road, Outering Road, routes leading to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), and several access points into Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).
Matatus were reportedly prevented from accessing the CBD through Lang'ata Road and Mombasa Road, with similar restrictions on routes linking the capital to Athi River and Mlolongo.
Parliament Road the very stretch that demonstrators had specifically requested to walk through in order to lay flowers at the scene of the 2024 storming has also been sealed off.
This is not the picture of a normal working day. This is the picture of a capital city preparing for conflict.
#What the Government Promised
Just days ago, President William Ruto stood before Kenyans and was unambiguous. Speaking at a state event in Nairobi on June 19, the president called on Kenyans not to demonstrate on Thursday, insisting that children would go to school and workers would go to work. "The one thing that is not going to happen is that people will be mobilised to destroy property or to cause chaos or mayhem. That will not happen," he said repeatedly.
The government's position was reinforced by police. Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud said police had not received any official notice regarding the June 25 memorial marches, stating: "We are not aware of the alleged commemoration that is supposed to take place on June 25," while assuring residents that law enforcement agencies remain prepared to maintain peace.
But the police's claim of ignorance is contradicted by the facts on the ground. The position contradicts actions taken a week earlier when opposition leaders led by People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua and DAP-Kenya's Eugene Wamalwa, accompanied by Siaya Governor James Orengo and others, delivered notifications and petitions to Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja on behalf of families of victims of police brutality ahead of the June 25 commemorations.
In other words, the police had been formally notified. The claim of ignorance is not credible.
#A Constitutional Right Being Denied
The Law Society of Kenya and human rights organisations were unequivocal ahead of today's events. They noted that the planned nationwide memorial processions fall squarely within the constitutional right of every person to assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions peacefully and unarmed under Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya, reminding the National Police Service that its primary role is to facilitate and protect the exercise of this right and that protest notifications are intended to enable coordination for public safety, not to seek permission.
The Law Society further warned that violations of protesters' rights over the last six years have resulted in the loss of over 138 lives, 1,227 injuries, and lasting trauma, and that individual officers and their commanders are currently facing personal criminal charges for human rights violations.
The message was clear: Kenya has been here before. The consequences have been deadly.
#What Today Is Really About
Today's commemorations were never intended as a riot. They were planned as a day of remembrance a solemn acknowledgement of lives lost, and a call for accountability that remains unanswered. The broader challenges, including economic inequality, which triggered the 2024 anger among young people, have not been resolved.
President Ruto recently announced a fund of nearly $15 million to compensate 1,100 people affected by violent protests between 2017 and 2025. But for some bereaved families, the gesture rings hollow. "He's covering up the wrongs that he did. He just wants us to shut up because of the cash that he's giving us the peanuts," said Gillian Munyao, whose son Rex Masai, 29, was among the first to be killed in the June 2024 protests.
Before the Gen Z protests, many Kenyans could not tell you which article of the Constitution protects the right to protest. Today, young people understand constitutional rights in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago. [Daily Nation](https://nation.africa/kenya/news/june-25-the-day-that-changed-kenya-forever--5507734) That awakening inconvenient as it may be for the political establishment is precisely what today's anniversary represents.
#History Repeating Itself
This is not the first time the government has pledged normalcy only to deliver a lockdown. During the first anniversary protests on June 25, 2025, the state moved to choke off access to the capital, setting up roadblocks along major roads while Kenya Railways suspended all commuter train services to prevent protesters from entering the city centre.
The question Kenyans and the world are now asking is simple: will history repeat itself today?
#The Bottom Line
What we are witnessing this morning is the Kenyan government saying one thing and doing the complete opposite. Roads are barricaded. Matatus are turned away. Parliament Road is closed. The CBD is effectively a no-go zone for ordinary citizens. A generation that lost friends, siblings, and children two years ago simply wanted to walk peacefully, lay flowers, and remember thier loved ones.
As the Law Society of Kenya put it: public order and human rights are not mutually exclusive. [Amnesty International](https://www.amnestykenya.org/public-safety-advisory-to-the-national-police-service-ahead-of-planned-25-june-2026-gen-z-memorial-processions/) A government that claims to uphold the rule of law cannot, in the same breath, deploy armed officers to prevent citizens from exercising rights guaranteed by the very Constitution it swore to protect.
Today's events are unfolding. We will continue to update this report as the situation develops.