Transport protests hit Kenya over rising fuel prices
Public transport was largely shut down and protesters barricaded roads in Kenya on Monday as a strike was called over a fuel price hike triggered by the Middle East war.
On Thursday, Kenya announced a series of price hikes in response to rising global oil prices, including a 23.5 percent increase for diesel -- triggering a call for the strike by transport workers.
Protesters barricaded roads and lit bonfires on the outskirts of Nairobi early Monday, and tried to stop cars and "boda boda" motorbikes from passing, an AFP journalist saw.
Thousands of commuters were stranded by a strike by "matatu" minibuses, which provide the only form of public transport in the Kenyan capital but are privately owned.
The Daily Nation newspaper published a video of clashes between protesters and police in Kiambu, a satellite town outside Nairobi.
Away from the protest sites, Nairobi's streets were almost empty compared to the usual morning congestion, with schools closed and many events cancelled.
Last month, Kenyan authorities also suspended their fuel quality standards to maintain supply in the face of shortages.
"The strike is completely uncalled for, even though the prices of petroleum products have risen," John Mbadi, treasury and economic planning minister, told the NTV broadcaster.
"This is a war that we have not caused," he added.
"The government will discuss if we can do more. But you have to balance it off with the entire macroeconomic fundamentals. And I will come to tell you that our budget is also facing a strain."
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