On Wednesday morning, main Nairobi roadways were heavily patrolled by police as a demonstration over the city's high cost of living got underway.
Police ruled the protest unlawful, claiming there had been no official notification as required by law.
Before the city's scheduled street protests, anti-riot police set up barriers on the streets surrounding the State House.
Other policemen could be seen patrolling the streets of the city and ordering any crowds to disperse.
Adamson Bungei, the head of the Nairobi police, declared that no meetings will be allowed and warned anyone who was preparing one.
“They have been informed their plans to demonstrate are not permitted here and elsewhere. We have teams on the ground,” he said.
He stated that sufficient troops had been mobilised to ensure citywide security.
Some establishments stayed closed in the early morning hours, probably due to worries of turmoil.
Some schools urged students and pupils to skip class that day out of concern for pandemonium.
Some long-distance drivers and conductors, according to police on major routes, have stopped using their services.
Despite the fact that the government had halted retesting of the crew and public service vehicles, this still occurred.
In order to clamp and tow away any vehicle that attempted to obstruct the roadways, additional police units were dispatched with equipment to patrol the roads.
According to local police, the announcement of the exercise's suspension came in the late evening, when the majority of drivers had already decided to forgo their services.
“By the time the communication came out most of the drivers and owners had decided to keep off the roads and so it was expected. We blame those who communicated late,” said one official.
A demonstration against the new Finance Act 2023 and the high cost of living has been called for by the Azimio La Umoja Coalition and other civil society organisations.
Numerous locations saw the deployment of dozens of police officers to conduct vehicle inspections on the highways near State House, which alarmed some motorists and caused temporary disruption.
Police claimed that because State House is such an important building, regular security inspections are required in the area.
In Nairobi, State House access roads were blocked by dozens of armed police personnel.
State House Road, State House Avenue, Processional Way, and Dennis Pritt were among the key roadways where police were stationed with spikes, stopping and questioning drivers for a short time.
The officers claimed that after that, they received orders not to let the motorbike riders pass because they might be used to transport large masses to the State House.
A poll revealed that anti-riot police were widely dispersed on busy streets and in informal communities.
This came after leaders of Azimio La Umoja declared that their demonstrations against high living expenses and electoral fraud, among other things, will proceed as scheduled.
In order to supplement the existing police force in Nairobi, dozens of additional policemen were dispatched.
Others were dispatched to locations where officials claimed plans for other such gatherings were afoot.
In order to express their unhappiness with the administration, the demonstration organisers say they intend to continue collecting signatures.
According to Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, no organisation has officially notified the police about the scheduled demonstrations; therefore, the gatherings will be regarded as unlawful.
He promised to employ "all lawful means" to break up any gatherings on Wednesday.
“…in the interest of national security, the National Police Service wishes to inform the public that in the absence of notifications by planners of any demonstrations as a legal prerequisite to enable Police provide adequate security to demonstrators and the public, Police have no other option but to take necessary measures to disperse all illegal demonstrations,” said Koome.
“In this regard, no such demonstrations/gatherings/protests will be allowed tomorrow since no such notification has been presented to any police station. All lawful means will be used to disperse such demonstrations.”
The opposition was also issued a warning by President William Ruto, who vowed to put an end to any violent demonstrations that endangered Kenyan citizens' lives.
Speaking on Tuesday in Ruai, Ruto noted that six deaths were associated with the Saba Saba rallies last week and added that he would not support the killing of any Kenyan for political reasons.
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