Police arrest six at Jogoo House protest demanding Kanja resign
Key points
- At least six activists were arrested Monday 17 August outside Jogoo House, Nairobi, demanding IG Douglas Kanja resign.
- Julius Kamau chained himself to the gate with white coffins marked “Why kill Kenyans?” and was later unchained and carried to a police vehicle.
- The protest cited alleged brutality, abductions, custody deaths and Sunday’s Homa Bay chaos (one confirmed dead).
- Similar calls followed Ol Kalou (July, Gachagua) and the April assault on Senator Osotsi; Murkomen has said Kanja still has public confidence.
Monday 17 August 2026 at Jogoo House the coffins were white and the gate got a chain. Activist Julius Kamau locked himself to the police headquarters entrance as officers moved on a group demanding Inspector-General Douglas Kanja resign, Eastleigh Voice reported.
At least 6 people were arrested before they could finish a media address. The boxes read “Why kill Kenyans?” The list they shouted was familiar: alleged killings, abductions, deaths in cells, and Sunday 16 August Homa Bay rally where at least 1 person died. Video showed Kamau on the gate: “Siogopi bana, niko tayari kufa nikipigania Kenya,” then “We shall overcome,” plus a swipe at public-land grabs and blind followership. Officers unchained him and carried him to a van already holding the others. The same IG has heard this before: Gachagua after Ol Kalou violence in July; Western MPs led by Butere’s Tindi Mwale after the April attack on Vihiga senator Godfrey Osotsi in Kisumu. Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has said Kanja still enjoys public confidence. Six arrests at the gate do not answer the Homa Bay mortuary.
A coffin prop is not a charge against the IG
Resignation chants need a file: who failed to police Lala–Kodoyo, and who ordered Monday’s arrests. IPOA and the Internal Affairs Unit should treat both as paper, not television.
Crime desk: Crime. Verified Monday date, six arrests, Kamau quote and prior Kanja calls from Eastleigh Voice.
NPS should name the six and the station holding them. Parliament’s security committee should list open Homa Bay and Ol Kalou inquiries.
Protesters should file a written petition at the IG’s registry so the next visit is on a docket.
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Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the Monday Jogoo House protest. Arrest counts can be revised by NPS.
