Organisers of this year’s planned Saba Saba commemorations have announced plans to present a petition to Parliament calling for stronger police accountability measures and enhanced protection of constitutional rights.
In a notice dated July 5, Francis Awino, the National Convenor of the Mtetezi (Grassroots Economic Justice Movement), formally notified the National Police Service of a peaceful procession scheduled for Tuesday, July 7. The organisers said participants will assemble at Jeevanjee Gardens from 8 a.m. before proceeding through Nairobi’s Central Business District to Parliament Buildings.
According to the organisers, the petition seeks parliamentary intervention over concerns surrounding alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and the excessive use of force by security agencies. It further calls for strengthened oversight mechanisms and legislative reforms aimed at safeguarding constitutional rights and upholding the rule of law.
“The petition requests Parliament to establish appropriate oversight mechanisms, review existing laws, strengthen accountability institutions, and undertake such legislative measures as may be necessary to safeguard constitutional rights,” the notice states.
Awino said the planned procession is intended to commemorate Saba Saba Day while exercising the constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and petitioning Parliament, as provided under Articles 37 and 119 of the Constitution.
“The procession is intended to exercise the constitutional right guaranteed under Article 37 of the Constitution to present a petition to Parliament concerning matters of significant national public interest,” he said.
The organisers expect between 1,000 and 3,000 participants, including representatives from civil society organisations, human rights groups, youth organisations, religious institutions, professional associations, students and members of the public.
They maintained that the procession will be peaceful and orderly, with volunteer marshals deployed to coordinate participants and assist with crowd management.
“Participants shall remain peaceful, orderly, and unarmed throughout the procession and presentation of the petition,” the notice states.
The organisers have also called on the National Police Service to facilitate the exercise by providing adequate security and traffic management throughout the event.
Copies of the notice were sent to the Speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
Saba Saba, commemorated annually on July 7, marks the historic pro-democracy protests of 1990, which advocated for the restoration of multiparty democracy, constitutional reforms and expanded political freedoms in Kenya.
