NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 — Wiper leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has defended the ongoing Transport Sector Alliance-led fuel strike, describing it as a legitimate response to what he termed the government’s indifference to the suffering of ordinary Kenyans.
In a statement issued Monday, Kalonzo blamed the nationwide transport paralysis on the government’s recent fuel price hike, arguing that the disruption was a direct consequence of policies that have made operations unsustainable for transport operators.
“The Transport Sector Alliance did not act without cause, and their strike is a legitimate response to illegitimate policy,” Kalonzo said.
He accused President William Samoei Ruto’s administration of ignoring the economic hardships facing Kenyans, saying the latest increase in fuel prices had compounded an already dire cost-of-living crisis.
The opposition leader criticised the May 14 announcement by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which raised diesel prices by Sh46.29 per litre and super petrol by Sh16.65 per litre.
According to Kalonzo, the increases were introduced without adequate public consultation and failed to consider their impact on workers, traders, students and households struggling with rising living costs.
“Today, hundreds of thousands of Kenyans are stranded across the country. This is not a natural disaster. It is the foreseeable consequence of a regime that has repeatedly placed its interests above the welfare of its people,” he said.
Kalonzo warned that the transport shutdown was already triggering wider economic disruption, citing interruptions in supply chains, rising food prices and slowed business activity across several regions.
He said the burden of the crisis should be borne by those in government rather than ordinary citizens already grappling with economic pressure.
The Wiper leader called on Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi to immediately reverse the fuel price hike and resign, arguing that decisive action was needed to restore public confidence.
He also urged President Ruto’s administration to open immediate talks with the Transport Sector Alliance, saying the concerns raised by transport operators were genuine and could not be ignored.
“Stonewalling them is not governance; it is negligence,” he said, adding that the opposition’s United Alternative Government was prepared to facilitate dialogue.
Kalonzo further challenged the government to present a transparent and sustainable framework for fuel price stabilisation that shields ordinary Kenyans from sudden price shocks.
He maintained that the opposition coalition would continue backing citizens affected by the rising cost of living, accusing the government of abandoning its responsibility to protect vulnerable households.
Thousands of stranded commuters streamed along roads and highways across Nairobi on Monday morning after a nationwide transport strike crippled matatu and bus operations, transforming large sections of the capital into a “walking city” as pressure mounted on the government to urgently lower soaring fuel prices.
From dawn, crowded bus stops, deserted matatu termini and unusually quiet transport corridors reflected the scale of the coordinated shutdown orchestrated by the Transport Sector Alliance (TSA).
Across Thika Road, Mombasa Road, Waiyaki Way, Jogoo Road and Ngong Road, office workers, traders and students trekked several kilometres after failing to secure transport, while the few operational boda bodas charged sharply inflated fares.
The industrial action — involving matatu operators, truckers, boda boda riders, digital taxi operators, logistics firms and private motorists — is shaping up to be one of the broadest economic protests witnessed in Kenya in recent years.
“This action is not only for transport operators, but for every Kenyan citizen,” the alliance said in a joint statement on Sunday.
“The ordinary mwananchi is the ultimate victim of high fuel prices, paying more for transport, food, electricity and essential commodities.”
The TSA brings together the Federation of Public Transport Sector (FPTS), Matatu Owners Association, Rig Owners Association, Motorist Association of Kenya (MAK), Association of Matatu Transport Owners (AMTO), Digital Boda Drivers and Deliveries Association, Truckers Association of Kenya, Digital Taxi Association of Kenya, Tour Guide Association, Association of Bus Operators, Counties Commuters Welfare Association, Mass Mobility Operators Association, Driving School Association and private motorists.
The coalition declared the strike “99 per cent successful” and vowed that no vehicle would move beginning midnight Sunday.
The alliance is demanding the immediate reversal of the latest fuel price increase announced on May 14 and wants diesel and petrol prices reduced to approximately Sh152 per litre, with a long-term target of between Sh140 and Sh150.
It is also seeking the resignation or dismissal of Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, the disbandment of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), restoration of a competitive fuel procurement system and the revival of the Changamwe Oil Refinery.
“Enough is enough. Fuel is the lifeblood of the economy. When fuel prices rise beyond reason, the entire nation suffers,” the statement added.
The strike comes amid intensifying warnings from business leaders and politicians that the latest fuel increases could trigger severe inflationary and economic consequences.
