Four people were killed and more than 30 injured in protests triggered by soaring fuel prices in Kenya, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Monday, after a nationwide transport strike paralysed movement in major towns and cities.
The unrest followed sharp increases in fuel prices linked to global supply disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran, which has squeezed oil and gas supplies from the Middle East.
Public transport operators across the country launched a strike from midnight Sunday, protesting rising diesel costs and accusing the government of failing to cushion transport operators and commuters from escalating living expenses.
“We lost four Kenyans in today’s violence, which also saw more than 30 people injured,” Murkomen told a televised press conference.
Roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, were blocked by striking operators and groups of protesters early Monday, causing severe traffic congestion and leaving thousands stranded. In some areas, police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators, while protesters burned tyres and barricaded major routes.
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The strike also disrupted activities in the port city of Mombasa, raising concerns over supply-chain delays.
Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority last week raised retail fuel prices by up to 23.5%, after a 24.2% increase the previous month.
Under the new pricing cycle running from May 15 to June 14, the pump price of super petrol in Nairobi rose to 214.25 shillings ($1.66) per litre from 206.97 shillings, while diesel jumped sharply to 242.92 shillings from 196.63 shillings. Kerosene prices remained unchanged at 152.78 shillings per litre.
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Finance Minister John Mbadi defended the increases earlier Monday, saying the current fuel prices were already subsidised.
A late-night meeting between government officials and transport sector representatives failed to produce a breakthrough. While transport operators accepted a proposal to reduce the price gap between diesel and kerosene to curb fuel adulteration, they rejected the government’s proposed level of reduction.
“We have not agreed on anything,” said Albert Karakacha, chairman of the public service vehicles owners’ association. “What we are urging the president is that he must do something because the strike will continue.”
Kenya relies heavily on fuel imports from the Middle East through government-to-government supply deals with Gulf producers. The latest increases have sharply raised transport fares and pushed up the prices of food and other essential goods, worsening the cost-of-living crisis for many households.
Gabriel Odhiambo, a 24-year-old public relations worker in Nairobi, said his daily transport expenses had doubled, while food prices had surged.
“Four tomatoes now cost 60 shillings,” he said, describing a threefold increase in recent weeks.
