Kenyan police have outlawed a planned march in Nairobi to mark the annual Saba Saba protest day, deploying large numbers of officers and roadblocks that choked traffic and signaled a zero-tolerance stance toward dissent.

Saba Saba, meaning seven seven in Kiswahili, commemorates the day in 1990 when Kenyans defied one-party rule under President Daniel arap Moi and demanded a return to multi-party democracy. What began as a pro-democracy uprising has evolved into a broader platform for grievances over governance, inequality, and state violence.

In recent years, the day has become closely associated with opposition to President William Ruto’s administration, which critics accuse of corruption, economic mismanagement, and presiding over a brutal police response to demonstrations. Rights monitors say dozens of people were killed and hundreds arrested during last year’s Saba Saba protests across the country.

This year, authorities moved preemptively. A grassroots coalition, the Economic Justice Movement, said it had formally notified police of plans for a peaceful procession in Nairobi and circulated the notice on social media. The group intended to highlight what it describes as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and routine police brutality, as well as a deepening economic crisis and shrinking opportunities for young people.

Police commanders publicly denied receiving any notification and declared any march illegal. They announced additional checkpoints and patrols across the capital, warning that any attempt to assemble would be dispersed.

Any unlawful acts shall be met with the full force of the law, a police statement said, framing the ban as a measure to protect public order and safety.

Activists and civil society groups argue that the clampdown reflects a broader pattern of criminalizing protest. Kenya’s police watchdog has documented at least 38 deaths during Saba Saba demonstrations last year, and rights groups say more than a hundred people were killed during waves of anti-government protests in recent periods.

Those tolls have had a chilling effect. Organizers acknowledge that even without the heavy security presence, turnout would likely be far lower than in previous years. Many potential protesters say they are simply too afraid.

There’s a general sense of exhaustion, said Wanjira Wanjiru of the Mathare Social Justice Centre, noting that communities hardest hit by police violence now weigh the cost of speaking out against the risk of not coming home.