Protected Areas according to the Bill
Protected Areas according to the Bill
The Kenyan newspapers on Wednesday, June 2, reported on the move by the state to ringfence critical government institutions and installations from protests.
Elsewhere, the High Court in Nairobi continued to mount pressure on the security agencies to reveal the whereabouts of lawyer and blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia.
1. Daily Nation
The newspaper reported on a bill already in the house seeking to criminalise the breaching of key government institutions during protests.
A protester will be fined up to KSh 100,000 or imprisoned for up to three months
should they be found guilty of participating in a protest in an unauthorised area if the bill in parliament is passed into law.
The Public Order Amendment Bill, 2025, sponsored by Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris,
proposes to designate three areas where protesters will not be allowed to hold public meetings or demonstrations.
According to the bill, these areas are: within 100 meters of parliament buildings, protected areas
(such as the State House) and court buildings.
If the bill becomes law, the Interior Cabinet secretary, in consultation with the county government,
will be able to designate specific areas in major cities where protests will be held.
This means that protesters will be required to gather only in those designated areas, and
if they have complaints, their leaders will be the ones to meet with them to listen to them.
The bill states that anyone who violates these provisions will be guilty of a criminal offence and,
if found guilty, will be liable to a fine not exceeding KSh 100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three months or both.
However, some members of parliament have expressed their reservations about the bill,
saying it is difficult to implement in practice in Kenya.
Nyakach MP, Aduma Owuor, said the law will not solve the basic problems of the protesters,
while Kisumu West MP, Rosa Buyu, said the allocation of a specific protest area reduces the strength of the protests.
