Govt sued over Nairobi CBD lockdown during Gen Z protest anniversary » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 25 – The Katiba Institute has filed an urgent constitutional petition at the High Court challenging the government’s decision to barricade roads into and within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), terming the move unlawful and a violation of fundamental rights.

In its petition, the constitutional watchdog accuses the Inspector General of Police Doughlas Kanja and the Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor of violating Articles 37 and 39 of the Constitution, which guarantee the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of movement.

The petition comes as police deployed heavily across Nairobi, erecting roadblocks and using barbed wire to cordon off key routes during the Gen Z-led June 25 protest anniversary.

Demonstrators took to the streets to mark one year since the 2024 protests, which turned deadly and saw Parliament stormed.

Katiba Institute argues that the unannounced lockdown of the city amounts to illegal administrative action and defies earlier court rulings that prohibited blanket protest bans in the CBD, including decisions in Katiba Institute v Inspector General of Police (E349 of 2024) and Law Society of Kenya v Kithinji (E373 of 2024).

“The blocking of roads without prior notice or legal basis is unconstitutional and threatens to roll back Kenya’s hard-earned democratic gains,” the Institute said in a statement.

The petition seeks immediate court orders to remove the barricades and compel the police to provide advance notice before any future non-emergency closures.

It also calls for a permanent injunction against unlawful limitations on the rights to protest and movement.

“This case is about more than just access to roads,” Katiba Institute emphasized. “It is about protecting Kenya’s constitutional future and ensuring the rule of law is upheld.”

The petition followed a day of high tension in Nairobi and other major towns across the country, with demonstrators and police clashing in some areas, even as protests remained largely peaceful in others.