4 people killed and dozens injured in Kenya protests over record fuel prices

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Four people died and over 30 others were injured when police clashed with protesters in Kenya's capital on Monday as a nationwide public transport strike kicked off to protest record fuel prices.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen also said 348 people were arrested and would be charged over their involvement in what he called violent illegal protests. He did not say how the four people were killed, but witnesses told local media that police in Nairobi had opened fire.

Commuters were stranded in many suburbs and the city center was deserted as protesters burned tires on major roads and attacked motorists, setting at least two vehicles on fire.

Kenya’s fuel prices hit a record high on Friday, with the diesel price increasing by 23.5% and gasoline by 8%. The government attributed the previous price increase to the Iran war and its effects on energy supplies, but it reduced taxes to lessen the shock for consumers.

President William Ruto, who has been out of the country, did not comment on the new increase or the protests.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday said the increased prices would affect all commodities and services. It also noted that Kenya's price hike from April to May was much higher than the rise in global oil prices: “This points to the continued role of domestic cost buildup.”

Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who joined the opposition after his impeachment in October 2024 over corruption allegations, blamed the sharp rise on corrupt businesspeople who want to increase profit margins.

He compared Kenya's fuel prices to those in neighboring landlocked countries that rely on Kenyan ports for importation of fuel, such as Uganda, where prices are lower.