LSK condemns state overreach amid protest crackdown
By William Muthama, July 21, 2025The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has condemned the government’s handling of recent protests, decrying what it terms as a systematic erosion of constitutional freedoms through unlawful crackdowns, criminalisation of dissent, and police brutality.
In a strongly worded statement dated July 21, 2025, LSK President Faith Odhiambo described the state’s response to the June 25 and Saba Saba protests as “a devastating machination to undermine the right to demonstrate.”
She emphasized that “the right to demonstrate is under siege,” pointing to weaponization of the criminal justice system and the infiltration of peaceful protests by armed, state-protected goons.
Odhiambo warned: “We strongly condemn this malicious, deliberate re-emergence of radicalized militia sponsored by the political class… sooner or later, the law will catch up with these actions.”
Protests Turn Violent
LSK also expressed concern over increasing aggression by some protesters, urging that all demonstrations adhere to Article 37 of the Constitution, which protects peaceful and unarmed assembly.
However, they laid greater blame on law enforcement, accusing them of extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate use of force.
“Our streets are no longer safe,” the Society declared, citing recent fatal police raids in residential areas that claimed innocent lives, including children.
Militia, Misuse and Militancy
Particularly damning was the Society’s condemnation of political exploitation of protests to instigate chaos. “It is unfortunate that instead of resolving the issues raised by the people, some political figures have resorted to the very schemes that previously plunged our country into lawlessness,” the statement read.
The LSK also blasted the misuse of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), calling the charging of protestors like Boniface Mwangi under anti-terror laws “an abuse of the law to intimidate political dissent.”
Asserting its constitutional mandate, the LSK vowed to remain vigilant. “No violation of human rights shall be justified or excused,” Odhiambo affirmed, calling on oversight institutions to act.