Online Reporter
NAIROBI. – Commuters across major cities in Kenya were left stranded yesterday morning following a nationwide transport strike over rising fuel prices, forcing many workers to walk kilometres to their destinations, while others opted to work from home as transport operators halted services.
Schools, especially in the capital Nairobi, remained closed, while many businesses in the city’s central business district kept their doors shut as the strike disrupted transport services. The chaos intensified as youths blocked sections of major roads across the city.
The coordinated industrial action — one of the largest in Kenya’s history — was organised by the Transport Sector Alliance and involved passenger transport operators, cargo and logistics companies, ride-hailing services, motorcycle taxis, tourism transport providers, driving schools, school buses and motorists.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the alliance demanded standardisation of all petroleum product prices at the current paraffin price of US$1,18 per litre, and for reduction of petrol and diesel prices to about US$1.17 per litre in the short term.
In addition, the alliance urged the government to restore a competitive free-market fuel procurement system to replace the current government-to-government arrangement. – ChinaDaily.com
