Tear Gas and Defiance on Thika Road as Police Clash with Saba Saba Protesters

Nairobi (Thika Road), Kenya – The Thika Superhighway erupted into a scene of confrontation on July 7, as heavily armed riot police clashed with peaceful protesters near the GSU headquarters in Ruaraka. What began as a patriotic and orderly march quickly turned tense when officers deployed tear gas to disperse demonstrators—many of whom were waving Kenyan flags and chanting calls for freedom.

Protesters insisted they were engaging in a peaceful demonstration, asserting their constitutional right to be heard. But their chants and raised hands were met with a show of force: armored vehicles, riot shields, and volleys of tear gas that sent crowds scattering into nearby streets and alleys.

Still, the spirit of defiance held. Protesters regrouped on side roads, vowing to continue their demonstration despite the crackdown. Their resilience underscored the enduring power of Saba Saba Day—a national symbol of resistance commemorating the 1990 uprising that paved the way for multiparty democracy in Kenya.

For today’s generation of activists, Saba Saba is not just about remembering the past, but confronting the present. Protesters cited unemployment, police brutality, and entrenched corruption as urgent grievances that echo the struggles of the early pro-democracy movement.

The violent police response on Thika Road has once again spotlighted the government’s uneasy handling of civic dissent, and raised questions about how Kenya’s leadership will navigate the growing demand for transparency, justice, and accountability.