NAIROBI, Kenya — More than 200 people arrested during the June 25 memorial demonstrations in Nairobi have been arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts and charged with offences related to obstructing traffic and disrupting transport operations on key roads within the capital.
The suspects were presented before court on Friday, where prosecutors accused them of unlawfully assembling along Landhies Road and interfering with the movement of vehicles during the nationwide demonstrations held to commemorate victims of the 2024 anti-government protests.
According to charge sheets filed in court, the accused persons allegedly gathered on a section of Landhies Road at around 9:30 a.m. on June 25, 2026, and obstructed motor vehicles by placing stones on the roadway and setting tyres ablaze.
“The accused persons jointly obstructed the free passage of motor vehicles by barricading the road with stones and burning tyres,” the prosecution told the court while reading the charges.
The prosecution contends that their actions caused significant disruption to traffic flow and inconvenienced other road users, contrary to provisions of Kenyan law governing public order and road use.
The accused persons were drawn from several police stations across Nairobi, reflecting the scale of arrests made during the demonstrations. Court records indicate that 12 suspects were processed from Kamukunji Police Station, 58 from Shauri Moyo Police Station, 46 from Industrial Area Police Station, and 87 from Central Police Station.
All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court subsequently granted each suspect release on a cash bail of KSh1,000 pending the hearing of the case.
In a separate development during the proceedings, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew charges against a young mother who had been arrested during the demonstrations.
The woman, who appeared in court carrying her toddler, was among the first group of 58 accused persons presented before the court. The prosecution informed the magistrate that it had opted to discontinue the case against her after considering her circumstances.
“We have reviewed the matter and wish to withdraw the charges against the accused,” the prosecution stated before the court allowed the application.
Emotional scenes unfolded in the courtroom as some of the accused complained that they had remained without food while in police custody following their arrest.
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Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko, who attended the proceedings, was seen purchasing milk for the young mother’s child as relatives and members of the public followed the hearings.
The cases are expected to proceed before the respective courts after the accused were released on bond terms set by the magistrates.
The matter is scheduled for mention on July 2, 2026, when the court is expected to issue further directions on the proceedings.
The arraignment comes a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that hundreds of people had been arrested across the country during demonstrations marking the second anniversary of the June 25, 2024 protests.
Human rights organisations and legal groups have continued to monitor the arrests, urging authorities to uphold constitutional safeguards, including the right to legal representation, fair trial protections, and due process for all suspects.
