Opposition leaders have accused the government of restricting June 25 memorial activities through extensive security deployments and road closures, maintaining that their planned procession with families of victims is peaceful, lawful and protected by the Constitution.
The leaders spoke on Thursday as Kenya marked two years since the 2024 anti-government protests, demonstrations that left dozens of people dead and sparked widespread anger over police conduct and demands for justice.
Their remarks came amid heightened security measures across Nairobi, where police sealed off key roads leading into the Central Business District and heavily restricted access to Parliament and nearby government offices using barricades and razor wire.
Addressing journalists alongside relatives of victims and fellow opposition figures, Peoples Liberation Party leader Martha Karua dismissed allegations linking memorial participants to possible violence or criminal activity in the city.
"We need everybody to know that those malicious people who may have arranged for goons to be in the CBD — we are not in the CBD. Any goon in the CBD belongs to the authorities, not to us," she said.
Karua criticised the extensive police deployment and roadblocks, saying access to Nairobi had become increasingly difficult.
"There is so much police presence, it is inconceivable that there can be any looting or any damage to property or any attack when there's so much police presence," Karua said.
She said opposition leaders expected police protection as they carried out plans to lay wreaths in memory of those who lost their lives during the protests.
"We are Kenyans, we are taxpayers, we are not doing anything wrong. We expect this to be peaceful, and we assert our right to do those things because it's written in the Constitution," she said.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga said the event was intended to honour young people who were killed during the demonstrations while renewing calls for accountability.
"We are peaceful. We are not armed," Maraga said. "Compensation is fine, but no money can buy any life. We must press for justice for those who were killed."
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa said participation in the memorial was not limited to those attending public events, arguing that staying at home was also a valid way of observing the day.
"The constitutional right for people to protest is not dependent on the generosity of the state," he said.
Wamalwa warned against blaming demonstrators for any incidents that might occur during the commemorations.
"Anything happening otherwise is state-sponsored," he said, adding that opposition leaders would hold police accountable for any security lapses.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said the focus of the day remained firmly on remembering the victims and standing with their families.
"Our only objective today is to go and lay the wreath in the company of the victims, the relatives of victims," he said.
Earlier, police intensified security operations across Nairobi, blocking roads leading to Parliament, Harambee Avenue and several sections of the CBD amid concerns over planned demonstrations and memorial processions.