At least four Kenyans were killed and over 30 others injured on Monday amid protests that occurred in the outskirts of the capital Nairobi. The protest is linked to a surge in fuel prices triggered by the Middle East crisis, APA reported on Monday.
Last week, the Kenyan government announced price hikes in response to rising global oil prices, including a 23.5-percent increase for diesel — triggering a call for the strike by transport workers.
Protesters barricaded roads and lit bonfires on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, early on Monday, attempting to stop cars and “boda boda” motorbikes,
In the afternoon, the usual congestion in Nairobi’s central business district was missing, with schools closed and events cancelled.
Thousands of commuters across the country were stranded after privately owned “matatu” minibuses, Kenya’s main form of public transport, went on strike.
The protests spread to other major towns, including Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri.
Kenya is one of the many African countries dependent on fuel imports from the Gulf and has been heavily affected by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
“It’s unfortunate that we lost four Kenyans in today’s violence, which also saw more than 30 people injured,” interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters.
While most of the east African country remained peaceful, he alleged that “criminal elements” had been mobilized to target government and personal property.
He claimed the protests had “been hijacked by political actors for political ends”.
Late on Monday, police said they arrested 348 protestors and the roads had now been cleared.
Kenyan rights group Vocal Africa said it “strongly condemns the use of lethal force by law enforcement that has tragically claimed the lives of four citizens during fuel protests”.
MG/abj/APA