June 25 demons: Office workers asked to stay at home as residents of Nairobi take to the streets

A majority of residents of Nairobians doing business or working in Nairobi did not report to work this morning as thousands of city residents took to the streets to mark June 25 Anniversary.

Peter Mutiso, an IT professional in Westlands, Nairobi, said they received email communication from the Human Resource Office asking them to stay home.

On the morning of June 25, a number of Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) that had began their morning ritual of  transporting people from the estates to the CBD, had to cut short their activities.

Mary Wanjiru who arrived in the CBD around 6:30am, said she had to quickly board a bus back to the estate after her employer circulated a memo on WhatsApp asking staff to return home. Mary did not make it to the office.

Mary says she could not immediately find a bus back to the estate as police had closed sections of the roads forcing drivers to take several detours.

“There was panic in the air this morning. I could feel it the moment I stepped in town. I just wish I had stayed at home,” she said, noting that she eventually made it home safely.

Priscah Ochiel, a resident of Embakasi said she had to take boda-boda from Kilimani to Umoja. 

She told Wananchi Reporting that there were no matatus on the roads, with many operators avoiding passing through the heart of the CBD.

“I paid Ksh800 to travel from Kilimani to Umoja,” she said, noting that many others had to walk.

A number of businesses in the CBD remained closed, as demonstrators took to the streets to mark one year since the Gen-Z demonstrations that saw the Kenyan Parliament invaded, and a section of it set ablaze.