Four people have been killed and at least 30 injured in protests linked to Kenya’s nationwide transport strikes against recent increases in the cost of fuel, according to the Interior Minister.
Thousands of commuters were left stranded, with key roads in the capital Nairobi largely empty as some businesses remained shut and schools asked students to stay at home.
Protesters have been blocking roads and erecting burning barricades. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen added that 348 people had been arrested.
The strike comes days after the authorities raised petroleum prices to record levels, with costs increasing by more than 20pc.
Kenya, like many other African countries, relies heavily on fuel imports from the Gulf, a supply route disrupted by the US-Israel conflict with Iran that began on 28 February. Even though a ceasefire has been declared, fuel prices have remained high as the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil passes through, is still blocked.
Many passengers were stranded at bus stops in the capital in the morning. Others arriving from elsewhere to Nairobi could not get into the city.
In parts of Nairobi and elsewhere across the country, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had blocked roads with burning tyres and barricades, amid reports they had been stopping and harassing motorists.
Nairobi Police Commander Issa Mohamud said six police officers were injured in the clashes, and five police vehicles and one civilian vehicle were damaged.
Ahead of the strike, the police assured Kenyans that security measures would be in place and warned against any disruptive conduct.
Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Murkomen said it was “unfortunate that the protests have once again been hijacked by political actors for political ends”.
“Looting businesses and vandalising public property can in no way bring down oil prices,” Kenya’s news website, Kenyans, cited him as saying. “Disrupting transport and destroying livelihoods will only worsen the situation facing Kenyans.”
