Four Killed, Hundreds Arrested as Fuel Protests Rock Kenya
Four people were killed and more than 30 injured during protests over rising fuel prices across several parts of Kenya on Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said, as police arrested 348 people in connection with the unrest.
The demonstrations affected counties including Nairobi, Nakuru, Kajiado and Kakamega, disrupting transport networks and damaging property. Speaking at Harambee House on Monday evening, Murkomen said the deaths were tragic but claimed that political groups had infiltrated the protests and turned them into violent confrontations.
He said authorities were investigating a number of incidents, including the burning of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) offices, the torching of trucks and the looting of a supermarket linked to a UDA-affiliated legislator in Nakuru. Murkomen described the attacks as organised acts of intimidation aimed at people with different political views.
Several major roads were blocked during the protests, including sections of Thika Superhighway, causing widespread disruption throughout the day. Police and transport officials later reopened most of the affected routes.
At the same time, transport representatives held discussions with the Treasury and the Ministry of Transport in an effort to prevent further disruption. Earlier in the day, the Matatu Owners Association said the strike would continue until the government entered talks over fuel prices.
The association’s chairman, Albert Karakacha, urged the government to address the concerns raised by transport operators and warned that the dispute would continue without an agreement.
