Four people were killed in protests against fuel price hikes sparked by a war with Iran in several Kenyan cities on Sunday, the country's interior minister said, after a nationwide public transport strike left commuters stranded.
The transport sector union said on Sunday that vehicles affiliated with its members would stop operating from midnight in protest, while police announced they would act to prevent any disruption.
"We have lost four Kenyans in today's violence, in which more than 30 people were injured," Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said in a televised news conference.
Kenya's Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority last week increased retail fuel prices by as much as 23,5 percent - after raising them by 24,2 percent last month - as the conflict in the Middle East reduced global oil and gas supplies.
Earlier today, Finance Minister John Mbadi said that current prices are already subsidized.
A meeting between the transport and energy ministers and public transport operators held today to find a solution brought little progress. The association accepted the government's proposal to bridge the gap between diesel and kerosene prices to prevent their mixing.
However, they disagreed on how much prices could be reduced, with the associations seeking a reduction of 46 shillings per litre.
"We haven't agreed on anything... What we are telling the president is that he has to do something, because the strike will continue. The strike is still ongoing," said Albert Karakača, president of the association of public transport vehicle owners, at a press conference.
Roads into the capital, Nairobi, were blocked this morning by striking transport operators and scattered groups of protesters.
Police fired tear gas in some areas, while some protesters burned tires to cut off access to key roads, worsening congestion and leaving many commuters stranded.
In Mombasa, Kenya's main port city, the strike has sparked fears of delays in supply chains.
Kenya imports almost all of its fuel products from the Middle East through interstate agreements with Gulf suppliers. The increase in fuel prices has sharply increased transportation costs and the prices of basic goods, putting additional pressure on households already struggling with the high cost of living.
Public relations worker Gabriel Odhiambo, 24, said his transport costs have doubled and food prices have also risen. Four tomatoes now cost 60 shillings (50 US cents) - three times more than before.
Kenya has increased the price of super petrol at pumps in Nairobi to 214,25 Kenyan shillings ($1,66) per litre from 206,97, and diesel to 242,92 shillings from 196,63 for the cycle from May 15 to June 14, while the price of kerosene remained unchanged at 152,78 shillings.
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