Raila invites Kenyans to mark Saba Saba at Kamukunji rally

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has rallied Kenyans to converge at Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi on Monday to mark the anniversary of the historic Saba Saba protests.

Addressing the press on Sunday, the long-time opposition politician said the ideals of the movement remain unfulfilled.

Odinga said the country continues to grapple with many of the same issues that sparked the first Saba Saba protests in 1990, including economic hardships and human rights violations.

“We have not achieved what Saba Saba intended,” he said. “Violation of human rights is still a challenge in the country, police brutality is there, and the economy has not performed as we expected. Saba Saba was meant to bring people together for a common cause: change.”

The ODM leader said he will personally be at Kamukunji, the same grounds where pro-democracy activists gathered 35 years ago to demand multiparty democracy in the face of then-President Daniel Moi’s authoritarian regime.

“My idea is to call the people and go to Kamukunji, the first place where Saba Saba took place. I will be attending the Saba Saba at Kamukunji to remember those who were killed,” Odinga told reporters.

It is yet to be seen which other leaders are in support of his call, as the ODM leader has, in recent months, not been tagging along with other prominent opposition politicians over his alliance with President William Ruto.

The Saba Saba movement, named after the date July 7, holds a symbolic place in Kenya’s democratic history: Kenyans took to the streets for the approval of multiparty democracy, leading to the repealing of Section 2A of the constitution.

Before then, Kenya was a one-party state under Moi’s Kenya African National Union (KANU) regime.

The 1990 protests were violently suppressed, but they eventually helped pave the way for political reforms and multiparty elections.

This year, the anniversary comes amid growing public discontent against Ruto’s regime over the rising cost of living and a spate of police crackdowns on government critics and street protests, many of which have resulted in deaths and injuries.

Many learning institutions in towns and cities have since advised students to stay at home and resume classes on Tuesday for fear of disruptions, as witnessed during recent protests over police brutality and extrajudicial killings.

On top of police combating protesters, ‘goons’ armed with whips and clubs have been deployed to attack protesters, loot and vandalise property in recent demos.

Even so, the government has warned civil servants against skipping work on Monday.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku on Sunday said Saba Saba is not a public holiday and that all public servants are expected to report to their duty stations on time.

Ruku said he will personally conduct spot checks across government offices and warned of disciplinary action for absenteeism.

“Anyone who fails to report will have to produce a show-cause letter,” he said.