Transportation on the busy Sirare-Kisii Highway experienced disruptions in the wee hours of Wednesday morning on July 19, as protestors took to the streets. 

According to a Kisii resident the demonstrators barricaded a section of the highway at Daraja Mbili, cutting off access to Kisii and Migori counties.

The resident further indicated that the protestors did not damage any property apart from blocking the road. 

“It has been chaotic in the early hours of the morning and we hope security officers will solve the issue and avert chaos,” he stated.

It was also reported that many residents in Kisii Town remained home as a new wave of protests rock the county following the opposition’s call for Kenyans to take to the streets over the rising cost of living and the Finance Act. 

Instructively, this happened just hours after Kisii Governor Simba Arati’s security was withdrawn. However, it was not immediately clear whether the two developments were related.

The blockade of Daraja Mbili came amid reports that the Awasi route to Kisumu was also barricaded by anti-government protesters.

 A Kisumu International Airport source noted that there was a lot of activity at the airport on Wednesday morning.

“Most of the people who are travelling are already at the lounge, they started streaming in early in the morning in anticipation of road blockades,” he explained.

The airport official added that the situation in Kisumu City was calm despite the expectation of widespread protests in the region.

07:20 AM The busy Waiyaki Way was momentarily closed but police officers were able to clear the road by 8:30 AM.

08:00 AM Protestors blocked the Migori- Rongo Highway as demonstrators engaged in anti-government protests. 

The Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, July 18, assured Kenyans that security officers would make sure peace was maintained throughout the country.

As a cautionary measure, the government ordered the closure of schools in Kisumu, Nairobi and Mombasa Counties.