Kenya fuel protests paralyse Nairobi as transport strike disrupts East Africa trade

Kenya’s economy slowed sharply on Monday after a nationwide transport strike triggered by soaring fuel prices paralysed movement in Nairobi and raised fears of wider supply-chain disruption across East Africa.

• Kenya suffered widespread disruption on Monday after transport operators launched a nationwide strike over soaring fuel prices.
• Roads into Nairobi were blocked, businesses shut, and thousands of commuters were forced to walk to work.
• The latest diesel price increase came just weeks after another major hike, intensifying pressure on households and businesses.
• The crisis is also raising fears of supply-chain disruptions across East Africa, which depends heavily on Kenya’s transport corridor and Mombasa port.

Thousands of commuters were stranded as public transport operators blocked major roads into the capital, forcing many residents to walk long distances to work.

Businesses in several parts of Nairobi remained shut, while many schools switched to online learning because of security concerns and transport disruptions.

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Police fired tear gas in parts of Nairobi and other towns as protesters burned tyres and barricaded roads, worsening congestion and disrupting movement across the country.

The strike followed another steep increase in fuel prices announced last week by Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), deepening a cost-of-living crisis that has already strained households and businesses.

Diesel prices jumped by about 23.5% in the latest review after rising by another 24.2% in April, marking two sharp increases in roughly a month. Petrol prices also rose, pushing fuel costs in Kenya to record levels.

The latest increases have raised transport fares and the cost of moving goods across the country, with traders warning of further increases in food prices and other basic commodities.

Kenya relies heavily on imported fuel from Gulf suppliers under government-to-government supply arrangements, leaving the country vulnerable to global oil market shocks.

The recent conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States disrupted energy markets and increased shipping risks around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Although tensions have eased after a ceasefire, global fuel prices have remained elevated, hurting import-dependent African economies.

The impact has been especially severe in Kenya because diesel powers much of the country’s transport and logistics system, including buses, trucks, cargo movement and generators.

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The Transport Sector Alliance (TSA), which coordinated the nationwide shutdown, said operators could no longer absorb the rising costs.

“This action is not only for transport operators, but for every Kenyan citizen,” the alliance said in a statement.

Transport fares in some parts of Nairobi more than doubled overnight as operators passed fuel costs onto passengers.

“There is no matatu anywhere,” a commuter identified as Charles told Reuters. “We used to pay 100 to 150 shillings, right now it’s 300. Life is becoming so unbearable.”

The disruption spread beyond the capital.

In Mombasa, East Africa’s busiest port city, businesses warned that prolonged transport disruptions could delay cargo movement across the region.

Kenya serves as a critical trade corridor for neighbouring countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, many of which rely on the Port of Mombasa for imports.

Analysts warned that any prolonged disruption to trucking and fuel supply chains could worsen inflation pressures across the region.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the latest fuel increase would affect nearly every sector of the economy.

In a statement, the chamber noted that diesel prices had risen much faster than international crude oil prices, suggesting domestic taxes, levies and supply-chain costs were also contributing to the increase.

Treasury Minister John Mbadi described the latest fuel price rise as “unfortunate” but defended the government’s response, saying Kenya could not solve a global energy crisis using domestic measures alone.

He said the government planned talks with transport operators and maintained that fuel prices were already being subsidised.

President William Ruto had not publicly commented on the strike and protests as of Monday afternoon.

The unrest adds to growing pressure on the Ruto administration, which has faced repeated public anger over taxes, fuel costs and broader economic reforms.

Last year, Kenya witnessed deadly anti-government protests over controversial tax proposals, forcing the government to withdraw parts of its finance bill after nationwide demonstrations and international scrutiny.

Many Kenyans say the latest fuel increases risk worsening already high living costs at a time when wages have failed to keep pace with inflation.