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Kenya’s High Court has issued conservatory orders barring Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja from mounting up roadblocks wrong Nairobi’s Central Business District during nationalist protests.
The bid came aft an urgent petition filed by the Katiba Institute, a law watchdog, which accused the constabulary of abusing their powers by barricading roads and restricting peaceful demonstrators from accessing the metropolis center.
The tribunal ruled that specified actions amounted to an unlawful regulation of law rights, peculiarly Articles 37 and 39, which warrant state of assembly and movement.
“The Inspector General of Police is abusing the information bureau to violently soundlessness and punish citizens voicing opposition,” the petitioner argued, adding that the roadblocks, which appeared without nationalist notice, created a “police authorities atmosphere” successful the capital.
In the petition, the Katiba Institute pointed to caller protests wherever demonstrators were met with dense constabulary presence, barbed wire, and metallic barricades crossed cardinal introduction points into the CBD.
Court Orders to Police
The institute further argued that contempt ineligible announcement being fixed to police, officers had failed to supply nationalist notifications of roadworthy closures arsenic required by law.
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The tribunal sitting successful Nairobi, directed the National Police Service to refrain from cancelling, disrupting oregon interfering successful immoderate mode with the close to assemble, protest, oregon picket portion peaceful and unarmed.
The tribunal besides ordered the contiguous removal of barricades and constabulary blocks from the metropolis halfway unless they served to support circumstantial delicate areas nether a constricted perimeter.
This is not the archetypal clip the High Court has pushed backmost against efforts to restrict protests.
In a February 2025 judgment, the tribunal invalidated a akin prohibition connected demonstrations successful the CBD and held that the constabulary cannot bounds rights without owed process, including consultation with stakeholders oregon obtaining tribunal approval.
The Attorney General and Inspector General were listed arsenic respondents successful the matter.
The ruling comes amid increasing nationalist discontent and a question of anti-government protests crossed Kenya, wherever demonstrators are demanding governmental reforms, accountability, and economical relief.
Murkomen connected Roadblocks
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen commended constabulary officers for maintaining information crossed the state during Monday’s demonstrations marking the 35th day of the 1990 Sabasaba protest.
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After touring respective areas successful Nairobi, Murkomen took to his X relationship to explicit gratitude to the officers connected duty. He praised their efforts successful safeguarding nationalist and backstage spot during what helium described arsenic a tense and perchance volatile day.
“This evening, I visited antithetic parts of Nairobi to personally convey our instrumentality enforcement officers for their committedness to nationalist information and extortion of property,” helium wrote.
Although the protests were expected to beryllium peaceful, the time began with a beardown beingness of anti-riot constabulary and respective unexpected roadblocks, disrupting mean enactment successful parts of the city.
Major entree roads into Nairobi’s CBD, including Thika Road, Jogoo Road, Mombasa Road, Ngong Road, and Waiyaki Way were either closed oregon heavy controlled, leaving galore commuters and motorists incapable to scope their destinations.
Addressing the disruption, Murkomen said the heightened information measures, portion inconvenient, were enactment successful spot to forestall immoderate transgression elements from exploiting the protests.
“We regret the inconvenience caused by today’s information measures, but they were indispensable to guarantee the information of our citizens and to support spot and businesses,” helium stated.
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A constabulary cheque signage astatine a roadblock. PHOTO/NMG
