The National Police Service (NPS) on Wednesday, November 20, denied a notice circulating on social media purporting to show that the police will not allow any protests in Nairobi on Thursday.
In a post on their X account, the police clarified to the public that the statement was fiction, flagging it as fake.
“We wish to caution the general public that the document circulating on social media, claiming to be from NPS, is malicious and fake. The document is from unscrupulous impostors with criminal intent,” the police announced.
The document in question was a notice in response to a notice indicating police had not issued any permits for protests, which, according to posts online, are slated to happen on Thursday, November 21, around Parliament. The protests were seemingly in response to President Willaim Ruto’s State of the Nation Address on the same day and venue as the protests.
Kenyans agitating for the protests online have cited the continuous abductions, femicide cases, the controversial Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) rollout, looting of public funds, and poor leadership and governance as reasons for staging demos in the president’s presence.
However, in the now-flagged statement, police stated that Parliament is a designated protected zone under national security regulations and urged Kenyans to refrain from picketing.
“We wish to remind you that the Parliament buildings are a sensitive area. We strongly urge the organizers to cease all activities around the Parliament buildings,” the fake statement reads in part.
The police further stated that they had not received any prior communication regarding the demos around Parliament as per law. They stated that, as a result, the demos were illegal and unauthorized.
“As per law, any public gathering or demonstration around the Parliament area must be notified and approved by the police. To date, no such notification has been received in relation to this endeavor. Therefore, we must inform you that the gathering is unauthorized and is in contravention of established protocols,” the fake document added.
The statement also communicated the police’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the public and participants in the demos. “The safety of both participants and the general public is of utmost importance, and we ask for your cooperation in ensuring the event does not escalate further,” the statement read.
The news of fresh protests comes after Kenya witnessed massive demos in June 2024 after Kenyans went up in arms rejecting the proposed Finance Bill of 2024. The aftermath of the protests saw loss of lives, abductions, destruction of property, and proposed austerity measures by the government.
A statement by the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, revealed that NPS recorded 495 injuries to police officers, 347 injuries to civilians, and 42 civilian fatalities. In response to abductions, Kanja disclosed that he had formed a special Missing Persons Unit (MPU) at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to deal with cases of abductions and extrajudicial killings.
