Private hospitals across Kenya will offer free emergency medical services within the first 24 hours during Saba Saba commemorations. This move is aimed at ensuring timely care for anyone injured during the anticipated nationwide protests. Emergency care, as enshrined in the Constitution, is considered a fundamental right and will be available to all individuals in need.
Hospital administrators have been urged to mobilize ambulances and support referral systems for patients requiring specialized treatment. The arrangement comes with an assurance from the Social Health Authority (SHA) that hospitals will be compensated under the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
The scope of care will include treatment for injuries sustained during the demonstrations and childbirth support for pregnant women. Services will be offered at hospital facilities, while additional field treatment centres will be established by medical professionals to cater to urgent cases outside hospitals.
Healthcare workers have raised concerns about safety, especially in cities like Nairobi, where previous protests have seen security forces breach medical facilities. There have been instances where police have arrested patients undergoing treatment and deployed tear gas and live ammunition near hospitals. Such actions compromise the sanctity of healthcare spaces and threaten the lives of patients and health workers.
Medical professionals have called on law enforcement to safeguard healthcare personnel attending to both protesters and security officers during the commemorations. They also appealed for ambulances and patient-transport vehicles to be allowed free passage to prevent fatalities or deterioration of health conditions.
The medical community emphasized that the upcoming demonstrations should be met with restraint from both the public and police. Past events have resulted in injuries to demonstrators, healthcare workers, and law enforcement officers. The hope this year is for peaceful demonstrations without casualties or property damage.
As part of the preparations for the commemorations, civil society groups have called on traders in Nairobi and other major urban centres to temporarily shut their businesses. This is to create space and allow demonstrators to participate safely in the events marking Saba Saba.
Saba Saba, marked annually on July 7, commemorates the 1990 protests that triggered the push for multi-party democracy in Kenya. The demonstrations were historically met with violent crackdowns but ultimately led to significant constitutional reforms, including the repeal of Section 2A in 1991.
This year’s observance aims to reflect not only on past democratic struggles but also on present-day issues such as youth unemployment, police brutality, and the rising cost of living. Organisers are encouraging mass turnout while urging elderly people and children to remain at home and monitor the events from a safe distance.
The day is expected to serve as a reminder of both historical milestones and ongoing struggles for justice, dignity, and equity in Kenya.
