Several protesters were arrested while attempting to picket outside the Office of the President at Jogoo House on Tuesday, July 7.
The protesters, who were demonstrating during the Saba Saba Day commemorations, were picked up by plainclothes police officers.
The four men who were seated on the tarmac tried to scream in protest of their arrest, accusing the officers of trying to inflict harm on them.
However, the officers who outnumbered them overpowered them and carried them into the boot of an awaiting Subaru vehicle. The incident was captured on camera by journalists covering the demos.
Several roads in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) remained inaccessible as police erected road blocks. The police also beefed up security outside government buildings.
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The area around the Parliament remained under tight security, with several armed officers stationed there, and was cordoned off from the public by razor wire.
Several police trucks, a police water cannon and an armoured police truck were also spotted within the precincts of Parliament.
Earlier, the National Police Service (NPS) erected roadblocks on all major roads leading to Nairobi CBD ahead of the planned Saba Saba protests.
Commuters streaming into the city from Thika Road, Kiambu Road, Waiyaki Way, Jogoo Road, Mombasa Road, Langata Road and Outer Ring Road were forced to continue their journey on foot from the checkpoints.
The police checkpoints resulted in huge traffic snarl-ups as they affected the normal flow of traffic. Several anti-riot police officers have been deployed in Nairobi CBD ahead of the anticipated demonstration.
On Monday, NPS announced that it will deploy enhanced police checkpoints across various roads in Nairobi as part of security measures during the Saba Saba commemoration.
The police said the move is intended to maintain peace and order and prevent disruptions that have been witnessed during previous commemorations.
The NPS noted that past Saba Saba events have occasionally been marked by incidents that disrupted normal activities.
