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Kanjama calls for constitutional policing of protests

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Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama has proposed what he described as a constitutional roadmap for policing demonstrations, urging security agencies to facilitate peaceful protests while maintaining public order instead of resorting to citywide lockdowns that disrupt businesses and transport.

Speaking on KTN on Thursday night, Kanjama said police should shift from pre-emptive city lockdowns to facilitating peaceful demonstrations, arguing that the Constitution already provides a framework for balancing public order with fundamental freedoms.

His remarks came after major roads leading into Nairobi’s Central Business District were barricaded during the June 25 memorial protests, disrupting transport, forcing many businesses to remain closed and limiting access to parts of the city.

Kanjama said the starting point for future policing of protests should be strict adherence to Article 37 of the Constitution.

“Article 37 talks about four rights. It says people have the right to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions, all peaceably and unarmed,” he said.

He explained that police should facilitate those rights instead of treating demonstrations as security threats from the outset.

According to Kanjama, citizens must be allowed to gather, march peacefully and deliver petitions to public institutions without unnecessary interference, provided they remain peaceful and unarmed.

As part of his proposed roadmap, Kanjama said police should only intervene where there is actual disorder during a protest rather than acting in anticipation of violence.

“The Constitution then gives the police the responsibility of securing law and order. If they notice disorder has arisen in the course of a protest, they have a right to intervene,” he said.

Police officers, he said, should remain identifiable by wearing official uniforms, avoid concealing their identities and issue clear warnings before dispersing protesters where peace has genuinely broken down.

Kanjama also urged security agencies to distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and criminal elements who infiltrate protests.

He acknowledged that goons sometimes exploit demonstrations to commit crimes, but argued that police should isolate and deal with those individuals instead of treating entire protests as unlawful gatherings.

“One of the issues that has really impacted the ability to peacefully protest is the question of goons, sometimes who infiltrate peaceful protests with their own agenda and then create the excuse or the trigger for the police to intervene,” he said.

He further proposed that police abandon blanket road closures and city lockdowns, saying such measures undermine constitutional freedoms and inconvenience millions of Kenyans who have no connection to protests.

“We’ve noticed that on some occasions, whether it is genuine anticipation or just fearful anticipation of protest, the police lock down the city, which is again contrary to court orders that have been issued before,” Kanjama said.

He argued that Kenya’s challenge has not been a lack of legal provisions governing protests but the failure to balance law enforcement with constitutional rights.

“So that balance between the need to keep peace and the need to allow people the right to protest, that is where we have been failing,” he said.

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National Assembly dismisses claims Sacco Bill is being rushed through Parliament

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The National Assembly has dismissed reports that the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being rushed through Parliament, saying the proposed law is still undergoing public participation.

Through infographics shared on Facebook on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Parliament said misleading information had been circulating online about the Bill, formally known as the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 32 of 2025.

Bill was published in June 2025

The National Assembly said the Bill was published on June 30, 2025, and had remained under consideration for more than 12 months.

It rejected suggestions that lawmakers were fast-tracking the proposed amendments without allowing enough time for scrutiny.

According to Parliament, the lengthy period between the publication of the Bill and its current consideration shows that it is not being rushed.

Bill currently before the National Assembly committee

The Sacco Societies Amendment Bill is currently before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

The committee is conducting public participation and receiving views from members of the public and other stakeholders.

The submissions are expected to help the committee assess the proposed amendments before presenting its recommendations to the National Assembly.

What happens after public participation?

After the public participation process is concluded, the committee will prepare a report containing its findings and recommendations.

Parliament said the views submitted by members of the public and stakeholders could inform further amendments to the Bill.

The proposed legislation will then proceed to the National Assembly for consideration by MPs.

This means the Bill has not yet completed the legislative process and could still be amended based on the submissions received during public participation.

Bill will be forwarded to Senate

The National Assembly also clarified that the Bill will not proceed directly for presidential assent after being passed by MPs.

Because the proposed legislation concerns county governments, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration in accordance with the Constitution.

The Senate will be required to consider the Bill before it can complete the parliamentary process and be presented for presidential assent.

Parliament urged members of the public to rely on verified information about the Sacco Societies Amendment Bill instead of unconfirmed reports circulating online-PeopleDaily.Digital.

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Digital house-hunting platform bets on technology to reshape Nairobi’s rental market

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NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – A growing shift towards digital property searches is changing how Kenyans find rental homes, with real estate technology platform Reemio positioning itself as a solution to longstanding challenges.

This included fraudulent listings, costly house searches and limited market transparency.

As younger, tech-savvy consumers turn to online platforms to make purchasing decisions, the company says digitizing the rental process could improve efficiency for both tenants and landlords while lowering transaction costs.

“Our niche is to solve the problem of house hunting and also bring trust into that process. We use technology to connect renters and landlords,” said Kimani.

Kimani said the platform seeks to address inefficiencies that have traditionally made house hunting expensive and time-consuming.

Instead of physically visiting multiple properties, users can browse verified listings, take virtual tours, compare amenities and access information on additional costs such as water charges, electricity bills and service fees before scheduling physical viewings.

Beyond improving convenience for tenants, Reemio argues that technology can help landlords reduce marketing costs, shorten vacancy periods and reach a wider pool of prospective tenants, including Kenyans living abroad.

The company says its platform also generates market data that can help property owners and developers better understand evolving consumer preferences, although its long-term impact will depend on wider adoption of digital property platforms and continued investment in trustworthy online real estate marketplaces-Capitalfm.co.ke.

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ORPP edges two parties closer to joining Kenya’s political arena

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The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued a notice for the provisional registration of two proposed political parties, opening a seven-day window for members of the public to lodge objections.

In a notice published by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the ORPP announced that the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) and the People’s Alternative Voice (PAV) are in the process of being provisionally registered under Section 5(2)(a) of the Political Parties Act.

The ORPP, a State office established under Section 33 of the Political Parties Act and Article 260 of the Constitution, said its mandate includes registering and regulating political parties as well as administering the Political Parties Fund.

According to the notice, the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has adopted pink, white and sky blue as its official party colours, with the slogan “Change – Mageuzi.” The party’s symbol is the acronym SDP enclosed inside a circle.

The party’s listed founder members are Nyangong’ Duncan Nyumbah, Omwandasi Jared Dishon and Kinyua Mary Wacuka.

The founders of PAV are listed as Odenyo John Fitzgerald Elly, Nyando Rachel Mmboga and Ali Hussein Kiplangat.

The Registrar said particulars of the two proposed political parties have been published on the ORPP website to facilitate public scrutiny as required by law.

Any person wishing to oppose the provisional registration of either party has seven days from the date of publication of the notice to submit objections either in writing or in person to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at Lion Place, Fourth Floor, Waiyaki Way at Karuna Close, Nairobi.

The provisional registration marks the first step in the legal process of establishing a political party in Kenya.

Kenya has 91 fully registered political parties. The ORPP’s updated register indicates that, as of January 2026, there were 91 parties that had met the legal requirements for full registration under the Political Parties Act-STAR.

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