Nairobi, Kenya – On July 7, Nairobi’s vibrant streets were reduced to silence as the city’s central business district (CBD) fell under a de facto lockdown amid a massive police security operation aimed at quelling the planned Saba Saba Day protests.

In scenes eerily reminiscent of a city under siege, key arteries including Thika Road, Mombasa Road, and Waiyaki Way were barricaded with razor wire and armored vehicles, effectively paralyzing movement in and out of the city center. Thousands of commuters were left stranded, forced to turn back or navigate long, frustrating detours through back routes and side streets.

The ghostly emptiness of Nairobi’s normally bustling core—absent of matatus, pedestrians, and the usual weekday rhythm—sparked outrage among human rights groups, who decried the move as a deliberate strategy to suppress dissent.

“Total shutdown and forced holiday executed by the state,” wrote activist Hanifa Aden on social media, echoing the frustration of many Nairobians who found themselves locked out of their workplaces, schools, and daily routines.

The sweeping security measures follow last month’s Gen Z–led protests, which left dozens dead and inflicted heavy damage on public and private property. In response, the government appears determined to prevent a repeat of the unrest, but critics argue the cost to civil liberties is dangerously high.

The state’s heavy-handed tactics have revived urgent questions about Kenya’s democratic space, especially the public’s right to peaceful assembly and free expression. While the streets of Nairobi may have been forcibly emptied, the political tension that triggered the protests remains palpable—and unresolved.