Saba Saba protests: A number of schools urge learners to stay home on Monday

Amid calls for police restraint and safety concerns, some schools have announced that their gates will remain closed as the protests take course.

Citizen Digital has seen a myriad of communiqués notifying parents of the closure, as some offered home schooling options to avert the safety risks posed by the protests.

"To ensure that learning continues uninterrupted, our teachers will prepare adequate academic work for your child, aligned to their regular timetable. This work is aimed at reinforcing key concepts and helping the students prepare for the upcoming End of Term Examinations," read a statement from Consolata School.

"This closure is due to the prevailing uncertainties surrounding the day, particularly with respect to safety concerns. It is purely a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone," read another from Premier Academy.

Thika Road Christian School, Paddington School,  Laiser Hill Academy, St. Jude Early School have also given notices to parents. 

Citizen Digital has seen notices from 15 other schools, where learners have been advised to stay home. The institutions state that normal learning activities will resume on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. 

SabaSaba is remembered as the day when nationwide protests took place on July 7, 1990, Kenyans took to the streets to demand free elections and the approval of multiparty democracy in Kenya.

Meanwhile, the OCS of the Central Police in Mombasa has declined a notice letter of planned protests and a concert in the city to commemorate Saba Saba Day.

OCS Sylvester Wambua noted that intelligence reports have indicated that there is a plan by goons to infiltrate the peaceful protests, posing a risk to Mombasa residents.

This comes against a backdrop of violent anti-government protests, as Kenyan youth have been fatally shot by police officers.

It has also seen Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen's giving shoot-on-sight orders for anyone planning to attack a police station, causing harsh public ridicule.

The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has also urged security agencies to practice restraint ahead of the planned Sabasaba protests.

In a statement on Sunday, NCCK raised concerns over the growing trend of what they termed as illegally denying Kenyans the right to picket.

It lamented the recent fatal shootings of peaceful protesters, demanding that CS Murkomen should withdraw his comments.

NCCK therefore demanded that police officers should act within the confines of the National Police Service Act and should provide adequate security to all peaceful and unarmed demonstrators.