The leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition Raila Odinga has planned a series of protests on Saba Saba Day, which is celebrated on July 7th each year.
According to the leader of the opposition, the demonstrations are being held to protest the rising cost of living, high taxation, corrupt government officials, and brutal police force in the country and to also call for electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
In Nairobi, Odinga has promised to lead a major rally at the Kamukunji Grounds where he says the “Third Liberation” of the country will be marked in commemoration of the Saba Saba Day.
The government has warned Raila against holding the demonstrations, saying that they could lead to violence. However, Raila has vowed to go ahead with the demonstrations, saying that he is not afraid of the government.
The Saba Saba Day demonstrations are the latest in a series of protests that have been held in Kenya in recent months. In March, Raila led a series of demonstrations against the high cost of living claiming it was occasioned by massive looting of public resources and withdrawal of subsidies to food, fuel, and education.
The demonstrations were met with a heavy police crackdown, and several people were killed.
Saba Saba Day in Kenyan history is remembered as the day when nationwide protests took place. On 7 July 1990, Kenyans took to the streets to demand free elections.
Therefore, the decision by the former Premier to hold Maandamano on Saba Saba Day was a symbolic one. It was a way for Odinga and his supporters to link their own struggle for political change in Kenya to the broader struggle for freedom and justice in Africa.