Kenya’s government is now planning to change the law to control how protests happen in the country. This move is being pushed by President William Ruto and his allies after recent demonstrations exposed deep anger among citizens over poor governance, high taxes, and police brutality.
The proposed law will confine protests to certain areas and force organizers to take full responsibility if anything goes wrong.
These changes are not just about order they are clearly an attempt to crush public dissent and silence Kenyans who are tired of being mistreated by the same leaders they voted for.
The new plan, led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, wants protest organizers to give full details before any demonstration happens names, numbers, locations, and time.
Protesters must also stick to a fixed path and hours, and any destruction of property will land the blame on the organizers.
But in reality, this is not about protecting businesses or public spaces. It’s about making it harder and scarier for Kenyans to exercise their right to speak out. It’s about turning protests into controlled shows, far from the eyes of those in power.
The same government that has failed to listen to the people is now introducing rules to stop them from speaking altogether. This is not reform. It is punishment. And it is dangerous.
The Constitution is clear Article 37 gives every Kenyan the right to demonstrate peacefully. Yet instead of solving the problems that lead people to the streets joblessness, corruption, hunger the government is choosing to restrict them further.
Legal experts like Steve Musili and James Orengo have warned that the proposed law is not just unnecessary, but unconstitutional. Making protest organizers pay for damages caused by others is unfair and shifts the blame away from the state, whose police have often used force to escalate tensions.
The government’s job is to protect protesters, not criminalize them.This law is being rushed in response to recent protests where people stood up and demanded better leadership.
Rather than admitting failure, the state is responding with intimidation and control. It shows a leadership that fears its citizens more than it serves them. Turning the right to protest into a permission-based, tightly controlled event strips it of meaning. It makes freedom conditional. It makes resistance impossible.
Kenyans must resist these changes because they are a threat to democracy. The government should focus on fixing the economy, lowering the cost of living, and ending police violence instead of drafting laws that gag the people.
A democracy that fears protests is no democracy at all. This law is not for the people it’s a shield for the powerful, a tool to stop voices from rising, and a direct attack on the freedoms that millions have fought to secure.
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