Inside All Saints: Day goons invaded a sacred space

Something felt unusual long before the shouting started.

As I made my way to the ACK All Saints Cathedral on Friday morning, a gathering of about 50 boda boda riders caught my attention. They stood listening intently to one speaker.

Ordinarily, it would have been an unremarkable scene in Nairobi's bustling city centre. Yet something about it felt out of place. 

Whatever it was, I quietly slipped my phone out of sight and continued walking. Hours later, after chaos erupted inside the church compound and reports emerged of stolen phones, that fleeting moment would return to my mind.

Inside the cathedral grounds, however, there was little indication of what was about to happen. For most of the morning, the atmosphere was exactly what one would expect at a post-budget discussion.

Participants listened attentively as speakers dissected Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi's 2026/2027 budget statement the previous day. Some took notes. Others typed furiously on laptops.

The forum was convened by the church in collaboration with Mtoto News International, Bajeti Hub, East African Centre for Human Rights, the Institute of Social Accountability, Institute of Economic Affairs, Institute of Public Finance, Transparency International and We Care.

Civil society leaders, governance experts, faith leaders and ordinary citizens exchanged observations about taxes, public spending and accountability.

Then the shouting started. What happened next would leave many of the more than 200 participants shaken.

A group of young men, seemingly in their twenties, appeared at the main entrance. They were shouting. Nobody immediately understood what was happening.

Then conversations stopped mid-sentence. Chairs scraped against the floor. Bags, notebooks and water bottles were abandoned as instinct took over.

"It happened so fast," recalls Dr Zipporah Katunga, a lecturer at the Kenya Institute of Special Education. One moment, the meeting had settled into discussion.

"In a flash, everyone ran for their dear life. Some left behind their personal belongings. For a moment I was completely lost. I remained seated because I genuinely did not know where to run.” 

For many, the disruption is still difficult to comprehend. This was not a political rally. Nor was it a street protest. It was a budget forum being held within the grounds of one of Nairobi's best-known places of worship.

Johnson Shisanya of the East African Centre for Human Rights says he initially struggled to make sense of what he was witnessing.

"For a moment, I thought the commotion and drama were part of the day's programme," he says. 

"The sudden reaction of participants running in all directions alarmed me, but unlike many others, I remained seated," he says. His laptop was open before him.

Outside, security personnel were already responding. They said a group of 50 riders approached the gate and asked to be cleared as they were attending the public post-budget meeting. Unsuspicious, the security allowed them in and showed them where to pack their motorcycles.

Then chaos erupted as the riders started shouting, some hurling obscenities, as they divided into two groups, each going to the two different venues that were hosting meetings – one the post-budget and the other a human rights forum.

The disruption only lasted less than 10 minutes. Church security and police officers quickly moved in.

The intruders fled. One was apprehended by the church security and handed over to the police.

Later, Kennedy Mwirotsi, a lawyer and personal assistant to the provost, Rev Evans Omollo, would reveal that several members people had lost mobile phones within the church compound and outside during the commotion.

As calm gradually returned, participants began sharing stories. Some spoke of fear. Others spoke of confusion and disbelief.

Yet even after the danger had passed, the emotional impact lingered.

"This incident, happening at such a renowned place of worship, has scared me so much. I don't think I will be attending another such gathering in the near future," says Jerusha Otieno. 

jgacheri@standardmedia.co.ke

Her words capture a question that lingered long after the shouting ended. Most participants were privy to the fact that if citizens cannot freely gather inside a church compound to discuss public affairs, where can they?

Ironically, the forum's central theme had been public participation – the constitutional promise that ordinary Kenyans have a voice in decisions affecting their taxes, services and future.

The presentations would continue, and the discussions would resume. However, the morning's most powerful lesson would not come from the podium. It would emerge from the disruption itself.

Later, after security restored order, participants slowly returned to their seats. Some recovered bags they had abandoned, others checked on friends and colleagues. The microphones came back on. Questions resumed, debates continued, and the forum carried on.

Addressing journalists later,  All Saints Cathedral Provost Rev Evans Omollo condemned the attack and insisted that neither the church nor citizens would be intimidated into silence. His message echoed what many participants appeared to feel.

The disruption had interrupted the conversation, but it had not ended it. Perhaps that was the most remarkable outcome of the day. Not the shouting, not the panic, not even the chaos.

However, the determination of ordinary citizens to return to their seats, reopen their notebooks, switch on their microphones and continue the conversation.

Because while the budget debate may have been disrupted for a few minutes, the public's desire to be heard endured long after the shouting faded away.

jgacheri@standardmedia.co.ke