In Nairobi, demonstrators burn tyres on key roads, with both the Iran war and corruption cited for rising petrol and diesel costs
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 6:28pm, 18 May 2026Protests erupted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Monday as a nationwide public transport strike kicked off in protest at rising fuel prices.
Commuters were stranded in various suburbs and the city centre remained deserted as motorists with private vehicles opted to stay home as protesters burned tyres on major roads.
The Kenya Association of Private Schools had advised its members to assess and determine the safety of learners going to school, and most schools opted for online learning.
Kenya’s fuel prices hit a record high on Friday with the diesel price increasing by 23.5 per cent and petrol by 8 per cent.
President William Ruto, who has been out of the country, is yet to comment on the new prices.
In the last price review in April he attributed it to the Iran war but reduced taxes to prevent a sharp increase in prices at the time.
