Traders in Eastleigh serve free meals to officers manning protest zones
Police officers deployed to Eastleigh in anticipation of Saba Saba protests were on Monday, July 7, 2025, treated to free food and water by traders under the Eastleigh Business District Association (EBDA), in a rare moment of goodwill amid national tension.
The gesture, which came as officers took positions to guard the area from any potential protest-related disruptions, was captured in a viral video shared by a local digital news publisher. The footage showed several officers seated aboard police vans, eating from takeaway food containers provided by the traders.
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According to an officer who could be heard speaking in the video, the food and water were offered as a show of appreciation and to support the officers who had been deployed early in the day as part of a nationwide security operation.
At the same time, major roads leading into Eastleigh were barricaded, with multiple layers of police presence visible along key intersections.
Officers clad in full riot gear could be seen manning strategic points, some conducting spot-checks and monitoring movement in and out of the business hub.
The video also captures a stretch of highway in Eastleigh completely blocked by tyres, with thick smoke rising a few metres away from an unidentified source, leaving it unclear whether a bonfire had been set ablaze.
Simultaneously, additional police vehicles poured into the bustling suburb, renowned for its commercial activities, as youths strolled freely along the streets.
The heavy deployment in Eastleigh mirrored security patterns seen across Nairobi, as the city braced for potential demonstrations called by youth-led movements to mark the anniversary of the historic Saba Saba protests.
Despite the sombre national mood and scattered protest scenes reported elsewhere, Eastleigh remained calm, largely due to both the heightened security and the proactive outreach by local traders.
Its neighbouring towns, including Thika Road and Jogoo, became epicentres of heated protests as angry demonstrators ignored pleas to treat Saba Saba Day with restraint and continued to flood the roads.
A TikTok live stream showed Jogoo Road swarming with protesters who had set several bonfires along the highway, even as police began deploying tear gas canisters to disperse them.
On Thika Road, police had established a roadblock to prevent protesters from accessing the central business district, but this did not deter crowds, who instead gathered in large numbers at places like Githurai and Roysambu, where they unleashed their frustrations.
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Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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