The Motorists Association of Kenya has demanded professionalism and restraint from the police during the planned Saba Saba protests scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2025.

In a statement issued on Saturday, July 5,2025 the lobby group reminded authorities that “the right to protest, picket, and assemble is not a favour granted by the government. It is a constitutional right enshrined in Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya.”

Their call comes just weeks after the June 25 demonstrations, during which the association claims peaceful protesters were met with brutality, tear gas, and road blockades. “What the country witnessed… was a disgrace,” they said, adding that police “became the very threat from which Kenyans needed protection.”

The association warned that unless law enforcement officers act professionally, public confidence in the National Police Service will continue to erode.

They demanded that during Saba Saba, “the police must provide safe passage for peaceful protesters and ensure they are shielded from hired goons and criminals.”

Call for Protecting the Public, Protesters, Transport, and Business During Saba Saba Protests
5th July 2025
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— Motorist Association (@motoristsoffice) July 5, 2025

They further appealed for protection of public transport and businesses, arguing that “shops, businesses, transport operators, motorists, and ordinary citizens should feel safer because the police are there – not terrorized.”

According to the lobby group, women and children were especially vulnerable during last month’s protests. “Others were raped when they sought refuge in dingy, unsafe places to escape police bludgeons,” the statement read.

What is Saba Saba?

Saba Saba, Swahili for “Seven Seven” marks July 7, a historic date in Kenya’s democratic struggle. On this day in 1990, Kenyans staged nationwide protests demanding multiparty democracy, confronting an autocratic regime.

The date has since become a symbol of civic resistance, and in recent years, a rallying point for protests against corruption, poor governance, and police brutality.

This year’s protests are expected to draw large crowds across major towns, including Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa, with civil society groups calling for justice for victims of abductions, economic mismanagement, and unlawful police killings.

The Motorists Association warned that any attempt to criminalize demonstrations would amount to a betrayal of the constitution. “No Kenyan should be stranded in their own country because of poor planning and abuse of power,” they stated.