People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua on Monday officially opened the party’s Kisii branch office, using the occasion to commemorate the Saba Saba movement and sharply criticise police over security road blockades erected across the country during the anniversary protests.

In a statement on her X account on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Karua said the Saba Saba struggle was a defining moment in Kenya’s second liberation, paying tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for democracy and the constitutional freedoms enjoyed today.

“We commemorate and we remember those who shed their blood because Saba Saba was the peak of the second liberation. People lost lives, others were arrested, some were beaten up. We remember fondly that it is their footsteps that gave us the Constitution of 2010,” Karua said.

Right of expression

She urged Kenyans to protect the gains made under the Constitution, insisting that citizens have the right to express themselves peacefully without intimidation.

“We must safeguard the gains in the Constitution. We should never be stopped from expressing our rights, our views. So long as we do it peacefully, the government should never erect blockades like they have throughout the country today. It is a shame. Let us keep peace and let us uphold our freedoms,” Karua said.

Karua also congratulated the party’s Kisii branch on opening the new office before rallying supporters ahead of the 2027 General Election.

“I take this opportunity to congratulate the Kisii branch and to tell them to go forth as one people, with one purpose,” she said, leading supporters in chants of “one term.

Call for peaceful campaign

While calling for political change, Karua urged politicians and their supporters to conduct campaigns peacefully and reject violence.

“Lakini sisi, tutaendeleza kampeni zetu kwa njia ya amani. Tutauza sera zetu, hatutauza matusi, hatutauza utengano, na watu wakome mambo ya goonism,” she said.

She further appealed to young people not to risk their lives for political interests, citing recent deaths and injuries reported during protests in Nairobi and Kisii.

“Na vijana wetu waelewe, uhai wao ni wa muhimu kushinda pesa yoyote… Mimi nasema, siasa ifanywe kwa amani. Kura iko mfukoni mwako,” she added.