Kenyan authorities sealed off central Nairobi with roadblocks, barbed-wire barricades and a heavy deployment of uniformed and plainclothes officers on Thursday, effectively shutting down the capital as the country marked the second anniversary of the Gen Z-led protests that stormed parliament in 2024. Public transport was halted, businesses remained shuttered and major entry points were blocked from the early hours, leaving the usually bustling city centre largely deserted. Police later deployed an armoured vehicle fitted with a sonic cannon to order demonstrators off the streets, triggering a standoff after protesters insisted their right to assemble extended until 6 p.m. under the Public Order Act.

President William Ruto’s administration defended the measures as “intelligence-led policing” designed to prevent criminal infiltration of the commemorations. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said road closures and the heavy presence were based on intelligence reports warning of plans to trigger unrest, while Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier stated that the government respected the constitutional right to peaceful protest but would act decisively against violence. The Kenya Human Rights Commission, however, demanded the immediate removal of the barricades, arguing that the police had defied a 2025 High Court order barring the obstruction of public roads without prior notice.

Opposition leaders including Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa, accompanied by families of victims, attempted to lay wreaths at Parliament but were blocked by layers of razor wire. Activists rejected a government compensation fund announced last week, insisting that only the arrest and prosecution of officers implicated in protest-related deaths would deliver accountability. “Compensation is not enough. We want the killer cops arrested, removed from service, and charged in a court of law,” said Hussein Khalid of Vocal Africa. The activists also demanded a formal state apology, a national memorial and the designation of June 25 as a public holiday.

In the lakeside city of Kisumu, a contrasting dynamic unfolded as hundreds of young people queued for voter registration and national identity cards rather than joining street protests. Organisers said the drive was deliberately timed to channel civic energy toward the 2027 elections. The calm there stood in sharp relief to the lockdown in Nairobi and clashes in areas such as Githurai, where plainclothes officers were filmed firing in the air and beating bystanders. Analysts in Nairobi note that the anniversary has become an annual flashpoint, with the state’s heavy-handed response reinforcing a cycle of grievance and protest. The Gen Z movement, which first erupted over a now-withdrawn finance bill, has reshaped Kenya’s political landscape by mobilising across ethnic lines, but its demands for police reform and economic relief remain largely unmet. The dossier now moves to the courts, where the Kenya Human Rights Commission is expected to pursue contempt proceedings over the barricades, while activists vow to sustain their campaign for accountability.