Transport stakeholders in the country have vowed to proceed with a planned nationwide industrial strike beginning Monday over the recent increase in fuel prices.
The strike has been endorsed by several organisations under the Transport Sector Alliance, including the Federation of Public Transport Sector (FPTS), Matatu Owners Association, Rig Owners Association, Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), Association of Matatu Transport Owners (AMTO) and the Digital Boda Drivers and Deliveries Association.
Others are the 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 move follows a consultative meeting held on May 17, 2026, where stakeholders confirmed that the strike would go on as planned.
The alliance said all transport subsectors, including passenger transport, cargo and logistics, ride-hailing services, motorcycle transport, tourism transport, driving schools, school buses, and private motorists, had agreed to unite in what they described as one of the largest coordinated industrial actions in Kenya’s history.
“This action is not only for transport operators, but for every Kenyan citizen,” the alliance said in a statement.
“The ordinary mwananchi is the ultimate victim of high fuel prices, paying more for transport, food, electricity, and essential commodities.”
The alliance said farmers, business owners, workers, and consumers across the country had already expressed solidarity and were expected to participate in demonstrations in towns, shopping centres, and local communities.
Among the key demands are the immediate reversal of the fuel price increase announced on May 14, 2026, reduction of petrol and diesel prices to between Sh140 and Sh150 per litre, an end to recurrent fuel shortages, restoration of a competitive free-market fuel procurement system, and the disbandment of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in favour of an independent energy regulator.
The alliance also demanded accountability for officials accused of allowing the importation of substandard fuel and called for the revival of the Changamwe Oil Refinery to refine Kenya’s Turkana crude oil locally.
Stakeholders argued that Kenya should not continue paying some of the highest fuel prices in the region while countries such as Ethiopia maintain significantly lower pump prices despite being landlocked.
The alliance further urged private vehicle owners to join the demonstrations, saying silence would amount to accepting high fuel prices, expensive transport, rising food costs, and a struggling economy.
The nationwide strike is expected to take place in cities, towns, municipalities, and trading centres across the country. Organisers described the action as peaceful and constitutional, aimed at pushing the government to address the concerns of transport operators and ordinary Kenyans.