Motorists trying to access the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) were arrested on Monday, July 7, as police officers stood guard at various points on major roads feeding the town.
An unknown number of bodaboda riders were loaded into police lorries, and their motorbikes were confiscated around the Globe roundabout.
In the video seen by Nairobileo.co.ke, the riders were accused of sneaking passengers into the CBD, as several people complained of not being able to access their businesses and workplaces.
The police mounted roadblocks, conducted intensive searches, and prevented people from accessing the CBD as the country marked the Saba Saba commemoration.
The roadblocks were noted at Kangemi along Waiyaki Way, the Guru Nanak Hospital, Allsoaps, and Roysambu along the Thika Superhighway.
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In other major highways, the blockade stood at the GM motors along Mombasa Road, at the City Mortuary Roundabout on Ngong Road, and the T-mall roundabout on Lang’ata Road.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Gilbert Masengeli, however, dismissed claims that people were blocked from accessing the CBD, insisting that everybody was allowed to move freely, contrary to the situation witnessed by many citizens.
Masengeli further urged people to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully, adhering to the rules and laws established to address the issue.
“Everyone is getting to work without any issues. No one is being turned away,” Masengeli stated. “We are urging everyone to ensure their protests remain peaceful.”
Protests to commemorate Sabasaba Day have broken out in various towns across the country. Citizens blocked the Embu-Nairobi highway using stones, burned tyres, and wood.
The Saba Saba Day is marked on July 7 every year in Kenya to mark a protest movement that broke in 1990 to demand a multiparty democracy against the late President Moi’s tyrannical rule.
Several leaders, Charles Rubia, Kenneth Matiba, and Jaramogi Odinga, led the protests despite the government banning all protests across the country.