Kisii protests take playful twist as youth block roads and engage in games
By Steve Ireri, July 7, 2025A section of Kisii town was turned into a mix of protest and play on Monday, July 7, 2025, as scores of youth flooded the streets to mark the Saba Saba anniversary in their own unorthodox way of shutting down roads and erupting into celebration-like scenes.
In a video shared by K24 TV, groups of youth could be seen running after each other inside the heart of the town, not in panic but in playful pursuit.
Some danced with visible excitement, while others held vuvuzelas and blew them loudly, giving the protest scene the air of a street carnival rather than a conventional demonstration.
Despite the deep undertones of the Saba Saba commemorations, which were originally sparked in honour of Kenya’s historic push for multiparty democracy and have now morphed into Gen Z-led calls for justice, economic reforms, and an end to police brutality, the Kisii youth seemed to have chosen an unconventional expression of their frustration and resistance.
The protesters also blocked key roads leading into the Kisii Central Business District, disrupting normal vehicular movement.
Tyres were used to seal off certain stretches, while others simply laid stones and gathered in the middle of the road.
Boda boda riders, who appeared to make up the majority in the circulating clips, could be seen chanting as they rode from place to place, showing solidarity with the demonstrators as more protesters continued to stream into the town.
Police were noticeably absent in the viral clips that circulated online, with no visible attempt to disperse the group or respond to the ongoing disruption.
Kangemi and other areas
This calm police approach sharply contrasted with the water cannon exchanges, teargas and running battles seen in other towns such as Kangemi and Nakuru, where Saba Saba commemorations took a more chaotic turn.
In Kangemi, hundreds of demonstrators who turned out and attempted to engage police in running battles were met with a heavy-handed response, as officers deployed high-pressure water cannons to disperse the surging crowds.
The police also fired multiple tear gas canisters into the group, while the sharp bursts of ammunition could be heard echoing in the background of a now-viral video shared widely on TikTok.
Moments later, a protester was seen lying motionless on the ground, prompting an eruption of fury among the demonstrators, who charged toward the officers in a desperate attempt to reach him.
The group eventually managed to lift the injured man and carried him away in the same direction from which the police had advanced, as more people poured into the streets and Kangemi—ordinarily a sleepy town—was swiftly transformed into one of the focal points of the Saba Saba protests.