Transportation workers across Kenya launched a nationwide work stoppage Monday, bringing the capital city of Nairobi to a standstill as they demonstrated against soaring fuel costs.
The strike left travelers without options throughout various neighborhoods while downtown areas sat empty. Those with personal cars chose to remain at home as demonstrators set tire fires across main thoroughfares.
School officials from the Kenya Association of Private Schools recommended that member institutions evaluate student safety for travel to classes, leading most educational facilities to switch to remote learning for the day.
Fuel costs in Kenya reached unprecedented levels last Friday, with diesel jumping 23.5% and gasoline climbing 8%.
President William Ruto, currently traveling outside the country, has not yet addressed the new pricing. During the previous price adjustment in April, he linked increases to the Iran war while cutting taxes to limit price spikes at that time.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned Friday that the higher fuel costs would impact all goods and services throughout the nation.
“The April–May comparison shows that while global crude oil prices increased by about 10.7%, Kenya’s diesel price rose by 23.5% over the same period. This points to the continued role of domestic cost buildup,” the chamber of commerce said in a statement.
Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who switched to the opposition following his impeachment in October 2024 over corruption, pointed to corrupt businesspeople seeking higher profit margins as the cause of the dramatic price surge.
He drew comparisons between Kenya’s fuel costs and those in nearby landlocked nations that depend on Kenyan ports for fuel imports, including Uganda, where prices remain lower.
Kenya functions as a critical transportation center for merchants bringing goods through Mombasa’s port for overland distribution.
