The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has raised alarm over widespread human rights abuses committed during the Saba Saba anniversary protests held on Monday, 7th July 2025.
In a strongly worded statement released Monday evening, KNCHR Vice Chairperson Dr. Raymond Nyeris confirmed that by 6:30 p.m., the Commission had documented ten deaths, twenty-nine injuries, two abductions, and thirty-seven arrests across seventeen counties.
Held to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1990 pro-democracy Saba Saba movement, the protests were marred by deadly violence, arbitrary arrests, and what the Commission described as a “heavy-handed police response.”
“Many citizens were unable to report to work, despite a directive by the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service requiring government employees to be on duty,” the KNCHR statement noted.
Major roads, especially in Nairobi, were barricaded, paralysing transport and access to hospitals and schools. Businesses in several counties closed out of fear of looting, with confirmed looting incidents reported in at least six counties. In Kerugoya, suspected criminals set the Central CDF office ablaze.
The Commission also criticised the deployment of unidentified, hooded officers in unmarked vehicles in Nairobi, Kajiado, and Nakuru, despite a standing court order requiring all officers policing demonstrations to be uniformed and identifiable.
More alarmingly, KNCHR reported that armed criminal gangs were seen working alongside security forces in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, and Eldoret, allegedly assaulting both protesters and bystanders using clubs, machetes, and bows and arrows.
The Commission further condemned the attack on the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) offices, where hired goons reportedly beat up staff, civilians, and journalists, some of whom were robbed. The attackers were reportedly captured on CCTV footage.
KNCHR is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved in the raid, while also voicing concern over escalating intimidation of human rights defenders. More than twenty HRDs have reportedly faced arbitrary arrests, beatings, and threats in the past week alone.
The Commission has urged the state to uphold the rule of law, protect civic freedoms, and ensure accountability for violations committed during and around the protests.
