Cleanup efforts resumed early Thursday morning along Thika Superhighway after parts of the busy roadway were blocked during mass protests on Wednesday, June 25. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) deployed teams to remove concrete jersey barriers and other debris that had been dragged into traffic lanes by demonstrators.
The highway became one of several major Nairobi roads affected by large-scale protests that quickly escalated into confrontations between demonstrators and police. Protesters, mostly youth, overpowered security officers and used highway infrastructure to disrupt transport, creating bottlenecks and standstills across the capital.
At Globe Roundabout, a key entry point to Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), police had initially erected barriers to block movement. However, the sheer number of demonstrators soon overwhelmed the security setup, allowing masses to surge into the city center. The protests, intended to honor the memory of young people killed in 2024 while campaigning for governance reforms, were marked by tension and bursts of violence throughout the day.
Elsewhere in the city, similar scenes played out. Protesters breached police barricades along Ngong Road and Uhuru Highway, resulting in widespread chaos and skirmishes in and around the CBD. Teargas filled the air as law enforcement struggled to contain crowds determined to make their way to strategic locations.
One exception was Parliament Road, which remained untouched due to heavy security presence. Multiple layers of razor wire were deployed there in anticipation of potential confrontations. Additional reinforcements were observed near Processional Way and State House Road, key government installations seen as high-risk targets. These defensive measures appeared to work, with no major breaches reported at these specific locations.
While the capital grappled with the unfolding crisis, the country’s leadership was elsewhere. The head of state had traveled to Dabaso for a funeral, where he addressed the nation’s youth in his remarks. Acknowledging the right to demonstrate, the president urged restraint and emphasized peaceful expression of dissent. He was joined at the event by a prominent opposition figure, underscoring the political weight of the moment.
In his speech, the president called on young people to avoid turning their grievances into acts of destruction. Emphasizing that all Kenyans share responsibility for preserving national peace, he warned that violence undermines the legitimacy of protest and could further divide the country.
Despite the president’s appeals, the events of June 25 highlighted ongoing public discontent, as well as the challenges faced by security agencies in managing civic unrest. Clean-up operations may have restored order on key roads, but tensions remain high amid calls for reform and accountability.
