Hundreds of human rights activists, community leaders and residents staged demonstrations in Gamba, Tana River County, on Saturday after police allegedly blocked them from travelling to Lamu despite court orders suspending the region's long-standing curfew.
The protesters, drawn from several civil society organisations and community groups across the Coast region, erected roadblocks along the busy highway for several hours, causing major traffic disruptions and long queues of vehicles as they demanded the implementation of court directives.
The convoy, consisting of six vehicles carrying representatives from VOCAL Africa, MUHURI, She Rises and the Kilifi Social Justice Centre, alongside Bajuni community elders from Lamu, had travelled overnight from Mombasa on what organisers described as a fact-finding mission. The visit followed a High Court ruling that suspended the curfew imposed in Lamu and neighbouring areas more than a decade ago.
According to the activists, the group left Mombasa at around 8 pm on Saturday and passed through several security checkpoints without incident before arriving in Gamba shortly after 1 am.
Vehicles were left stranded at a Gamba roadblock as activists protested police actions blocking their convoy to Lamu despite a court order suspending the curfew, causing major traffic disruption along the highway. (Photo: VOCAL Africa)
However, they claim police officers stopped the convoy and refused to allow it to proceed despite being presented with copies of court orders lifting the curfew and directing the removal of roadblocks.
VOCAL Africa activist Walid Sketty accused security officers of ignoring the court's decision.
"We personally delivered the court orders to the officers on duty, but they still declined to allow us through. The roadblocks remain in place despite the court's directives. What we witnessed was a clear failure to implement the ruling," he said.
The group temporarily retreated to Minjila before returning to Gamba at dawn. Activists said they were once again denied passage, prompting them and members of the Bajuni community to stage a protest.
MUHURI Rapid Response Officer Francis Auma said demonstrators blocked the road for about three hours to protest what they described as continued defiance of the court orders.
"We travelled from Mombasa expecting the law to be respected. Instead, we found that the orders had not been implemented. We closed the road for several hours before withdrawing peacefully, but we will continue pursuing all available legal avenues," said Auma.
He added that the activists intend to take legal action against officers they believe were responsible for restricting their movement despite the court ruling.
The protest caused significant traffic congestion, with buses, lorries and private vehicles stranded in the standoff as security officers monitored the situation.
Demonstrators called for the immediate removal of restrictions they say have negatively affected Lamu residents for years. They argued that the continued enforcement of roadblocks and movement controls undermines the authority of the courts and violates the rights of residents who have lived under the curfew since its introduction in 2013 as part of security operations targeting militant threats in the region.
By Sunday afternoon, the demonstrators had dispersed peacefully, but organisers vowed to continue pushing for the full implementation of the court ruling through legal channels.
They insisted that authorities must respect judicial decisions and ensure residents of Lamu enjoy the freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution.
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