Activists Julius Kamau A History of Arrests and Confrontations with the Law



Kenyan activist Julius Kamau has built a reputation for using dramatic and sometimes unconventional protests to draw attention to issues of governance, human rights and police accountability. He says he has been arrested more than 50 times since he began participating in demonstrations around 2012.

His latest confrontation came on Monday, August 17, 2026, when Kamau chained himself to the gate of Jogoo House in Nairobi during a protest demanding the resignation of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. He shouted, “Siogopi bana, niko tayari kufa nikipigania Kenya,” as protesters demanded accountability over alleged police brutality, abductions and deaths in custody. Police eventually removed him from the gate and arrested him alongside other activists.

Kamau's encounters with the law are not new. In December 2023, he was arrested at Uhuru Gardens and charged with creating a disturbance likely to cause a breach of the peace. Police accused him of carrying a placard reading “poverty is man-made and colonialism never really ended” and loudly disrupting a presidential address.

In April 2026, Kamau was among protesters arrested in Nairobi's CBD during demonstrations over rising fuel prices. He and nine others were later released on Sh3,000 cash bail after being presented before a Nairobi court.

A month later, in May 2026, Kamau was again arrested during protests linked to the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi. Reports identified him among Kenyan activists detained after protesters attempted to march towards the summit venue.

He was also arrested during demonstrations surrounding the 2026/27 Budget reading, with reports showing him being taken into custody by plain-clothes police officers in Nairobi's CBD.

These repeated arrests have made Kamau one of Kenya's most recognisable street activists. Rather than retreating after arrests or court appearances, he has continued returning to the streets, often using chains, placards and highly theatrical acts of civil disobedience to force attention on his causes.

His latest act at Jogoo House therefore fits a pattern that has defined his activism for years: **confront authority publicly, accept the possibility of arrest and use the arrest itself to amplify the message.**

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