Protesters light bonfires during public transport strike in Kenya over fuel prices

Protests erupted in Kenya’s Capital, Nairobi, on Monday as a nationwide public transport strike kicked off in protest at rising fuel prices.

Commuters were stranded in various suburbs, and the city centre remained deserted as motorists with private vehicles opted to stay home as protesters burned tyres on major roads.

The Kenya Association of Private Schools had advised its members to assess and determine the safety of learners going to school, and most schools opted for online learning. Kenya’s fuel prices hit a record high on Friday, with the diesel price increasing by 23.5 per cent and petrol by 8 per cent.

President William Ruto, who has been out of the country, has yet to comment on the new prices. In the last price review in April, he attributed it to the Iran war but reduced the taxes to prevent a sharp increase in price at the time.