Hundreds of Kenyans poured onto the streets of Nairobi on Monday in a show of solidarity with Palestinians trapped in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Motorbike riders and drivers circled the capital waving Palestinian flags, while crowds chanted, “Free, free Palestine.”
Demonstrators condemned the humanitarian toll of the conflict, accusing Israel of targeting civilians and vital infrastructure. Activist Shakira Wafula told protesters:
“The genocide in Palestine has to stop. Children are dying, women are suffering. They are bombing hospitals and residential areas. And Israel basically wants to extinguish the existence of Palestinians.”
Others linked the plight of Palestinians to Africa’s own history of colonialism. Nabil Mohamed, one of the protesters, said the war reminded him of Africa’s past under foreign rule.
“What we can see happening in Gaza right now and what happened in Africa is basically the same because they are going through occupation. We went through colonization. We share the same colonial masters and we can’t just sit back and watch what is happening there — the mass murders, the genocide, the starvation and killing of innocent children and women.”
The war was sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on Israel that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in mass abductions. Since then, Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, with aid groups warning of severe hunger under Israeli restrictions. Israel disputes those figures, describing them as Hamas propaganda.
Monday’s march in Nairobi adds Kenya to a growing list of countries where citizens have taken to the streets to demand an end to the war and greater global action to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
