#NotATerrorist: Protest, Power & the State

​The third edition of Sauti Sessions confronts one of the most urgent questions in Kenya’s civic life today: Who gets to define a terrorist?

​For years, the word terrorist has evoked Kenya’s darkest memories — the Westgate Mall attack in 2013, the Garissa University massacre in 2015 — where innocent lives were taken in acts of real terror. But today, that same word is increasingly being used against ordinary citizens: young people demanding justice, accountability, and a better future through peaceful protest.

​This special edition will feature the premiere of the short documentary Not A Terrorist, narrated and reported by Ian Wafula. The film traces his journey from covering Westgate as a young intern, to revisiting survivors of Garissa, and finally exposing how terrorism charges are now being misused to silence protestors. It draws a stark contrast between what true terror looks like and the state’s weaponization of fear against its own citizens.

​Through dialogue, art, and storytelling, this edition of Sauti Sessions will ask: When does dissent become terror? And what does it mean for the future of democracy when patriots are branded as enemies of the state?

​Expect an evening of unfiltered conversations, powerful performances, and civic storytelling — where voices long suppressed reclaim their truth.