Orengo: Parliament lockdown during June 25 protests reminded me of Baghdad
By Sharon Atieno, June 25, 2026Siaya Governor James Orengo has criticised the heavy security lockdown around Parliament Buildings during Thursday’s June 25 anniversary demonstrations, saying the level of barricading turned Kenya’s legislative house into what he described as a war zone.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Nairobi during commemorations marking two years since the historic Gen Z-led anti-Finance Bill protests, Orengo said opposition leaders and families of victims had intended to march peacefully to Parliament and lay wreaths in honour of those killed during the June 25, 2024, demonstrations, but were blocked by extensive police deployment.
“We wanted actually to lay wreaths in the presence of Parliament. That was not possible because Parliament was barricaded and the whole town was actually barricaded,” Orengo said.
The remarks came as authorities surrounded Parliament Buildings with barbed wire and deployed anti-riot police across major roads leading into Nairobi’s Central Business District.
Parliament sealed off amid tight security
Security officers on Thursday mounted razor wire around Parliament Buildings and blocked access roads including Parliament Road and City Hall Way as the government moved to prevent protesters from accessing the city centre during the anniversary protests.
Orengo questioned why Parliament, which he described as a public institution meant to serve citizens, had been completely shut off from the people.
“The fence instead of being the people’s palace for legislation and the people’s house for making laws, it was completely barricaded with a wire fence and a corridor,” he stated.
‘It reminded me of Baghdad’
The veteran opposition leader compared the situation in Nairobi to conflict zones, saying the security measures reflected fear rather than democracy.
“It was reminding me of Baghdad, at one point, where every single institution was barricaded. I felt a war zone,” he said.
The heavy security operation came amid heightened tension across Nairobi, with several businesses in the Central Business District remaining closed while commuters struggled to access the city centre after police blocked sections of major roads.
Security officers were also stationed along key routes, including Waiyaki Way, Mombasa Road, Thika Road and Ngong Road, as authorities sought to prevent a repeat of the dramatic June 25, 2024, incident when protesters breached Parliament during demonstrations against the Finance Bill.
Concerns over shrinking democratic space
Orengo further argued that blocking access to Parliament interfered with constitutional freedoms, insisting citizens had the right to peacefully demonstrate and petition their leaders.
“Today what I have seen is an interference with the right to demonstrate and picket,” he added.