A large contingent of armed anti-riot police officers has taken up positions at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, ahead of a planned parallel Mashujaa Day celebration.

Images from the scene show water cannons strategically parked, while officers camp at key locations throughout the park.

The event, organized by Kenyan youth and activists, aimed to honour victims of the anti-government protests held in June and July 2025, including the infamous Parliament invasion on June 25.

Activist Eric Omondi shared updates on X (formerly Twitter), explaining that officers initially blocked all entrances to the park.

However, they eventually allowed some young Kenyans access to the grounds. Despite the partial entry, tensions escalated as police began using tear gas to disperse the growing crowd.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have documented the scale of the violence during the nationwide protests.

Reporting that 61 Kenyans lost their lives. Amnesty’s investigation involved interviews with 23 eyewitnesses and the review of 45 videos and over 100 photographs from protest days.

Additionally, 67 cases of enforced disappearances have been logged this year, with 40 resolved, leaving 27 still unresolved.

Interior Cabinet Secretary and Deputy President nominee, Kithure Kindiki, disputed Amnesty’s figures, stating that the government recorded 42 deaths.

Kindiki defended the police force’s use of violence during the protests, telling the National Assembly National Security Committee on September 26 that their actions were necessary to protect critical national institutions, including Parliament.

“It is not correct to argue that police cannot use force. If we hadn’t applied force that day, Kenya would be a different place today,” he asserted.