We need protection, not protest restrictions
Protesters picketing along Kimathi Street in Nairobi during the commemoration of the Gen-Z protests on June 2, 2025.
In a time when Kenyans are raising their voices, it is disheartening to see legislative attempts aimed at silencing rather them than listening. The proposal by Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris to keep protesters from certain areas, including Parliament and State House, is not only regressive but also unconstitutional and disconnected from reality.
Public institutions are not private property. They are funded and sustained by the taxes of hardworking citizens. Kenyans have every right to access these spaces, demand accountability and express their frustrations, especially when those institutions appear to be operating without public interest at heart.
Article 37 of the Constitution clearly provides every citizen the right to peacefully assemble, demonstrate and picket. This right is not conditional to the comfort of those in power. It is not a privilege to be restricted when politically convenient. It is a core element of democratic governance.
The protests that have swept across the nation are not random acts of rebellion, they are a cry for dignity, accountability and economic survival. From young people marching against punitive taxation to communities demanding justice for enforced disappearances and police brutality, these demonstrations reflect a broken social contract.
Instead of proposing laws that limit civic space, our leaders should be focusing on legislation that addresses the root causes of public anger and unrest. Where are the Bills to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings? To effect police reform and end brutality? To guarantee transparency in public procurement?
What Kenyans need today is protection, not from protests, but from poverty, unemployment, corruption and State violence. We need laws that safeguard the lives of citizens, that prevent goons from hijacking peaceful demonstrations, and that hold police accountable for excessive use of force. Protests do not harm democracy; silencing them does.
Ms Passaris, Kenyans are not protesting because they want chaos, they are protesting because they want change. Instead of barricading public offices, open the doors to dialogue. Instead of suppressing dissent, amplify citizen voices. Instead of shielding power, wield it responsibly.
Rony Alal, Nairobi