BREAKING NEWS:Six Concerned Citizens Arrested Outside Jogoo House as They Demand IG Kanja’s Resignation

By Christopher mbiti 

Nairobi Kenya August 17 2026

Six concerned citizens were reportedly arrested outside Jogoo House in Nairobi after staging a demonstration calling for the resignation of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.

The group gathered outside the National Police Service headquarters to voice their concerns over the leadership of the police service and demand what they described as greater accountability from the country’s top police command.

The protesters directed their criticism at Kanja, calling on him to step down from office. Their action comes amid continued public debate over police accountability, the conduct of security officers and the need for reforms within the National Police Service.

Jogoo House, which houses the office of the Inspector General of Police, has in recent months become a focal point for groups seeking to present grievances concerning policing and security matters. In June, families of Kenyans who died during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests marched to Jogoo House to deliver a notification concerning planned memorial activities and renewed their calls for justice and accountability.

The latest arrests add to the growing scrutiny surrounding the police leadership. Earlier this year, opposition leaders also visited Jogoo House seeking engagement with Kanja over allegations of attacks, harassment and security concerns involving opposition figures and their supporters.

The opposition subsequently announced that it had lost confidence in the leadership of the National Police Service and said it would pursue other avenues over complaints involving alleged police misconduct.

Questions surrounding police accountability have also remained prominent in discussions between the National Police Service and oversight institutions. In March, senior NPS officials and representatives of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority held an engagement at Jogoo House focusing on police conduct, accountability, human rights standards and strengthening cooperation between the two institutions.

The six citizens' arrest therefore comes against a broader backdrop of calls for accountability and reforms within Kenya's policing system.

Details surrounding the circumstances of the six arrests, including the specific offences they may face and whether they have since been released, were not immediately clear from the available reports.

The incident is likely to renew debate over the balance between citizens' constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and the responsibility of security agencies to maintain public order.

As calls for police reforms continue, attention will now focus on how authorities respond to the protesters' demands and whether the arrests will trigger further calls for accountability from civil society and other concerned Kenyans.