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Transporters in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital—including ride-hailing drivers, public transport operators, and long-distance truckers—began a strike on Monday over rising fuel prices and shortages reported in parts of the country, exposing East Africa’s largest economy to the shockwaves of the war in the Middle East.
A spot check by TechCabal in over 10 bus stops across Nairobi found thousands of stranded commuters unable to get into the city for work as public transport operators kept vehicles off the roads.
Several schools shut their gates for the day while some companies instructed staff to work from home, raising fears of what could become one of the country’s severe transport disruptions in years.
The strike follows last week’s decision by Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to raise fuel prices by KES 16.65 ($0.13) per litre for petrol and KES 46.29 ($0.36) for diesel. Diesel, the main fuel used by heavy commercial vehicles and public transport operators, is now retailing at KES 242.92 ($1.88) per litre, while petrol prices have climbed to KES 214.25 ($1.66).
