Transport sector strike has exposed deeper fuel crisis lessons
Opinion
By
Leonard Khafafa
| May 27, 2026
Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after last week’s strike by the country’s transport sector was called off. The protests, staged by operators across multiple segments of the economy, brought much of the country to a standstill in opposition to recent increases in petroleum prices. Yet the episode raises a broader question: Was the strike justified in the first place?
With the conflict in the Middle East, a region that accounts for roughly a fifth of global fuel supplies, showing little sign of abating, volatility in energy markets is unlikely to dissipate soon. The disruptions therefore offer several lessons worth considering when weighing future responses to such economic shocks.
The first point is that these price increases were not unique to Kenya; they formed part of a broader global trend. Since January, fuel prices in Kenya have risen by an average of 17.4 per cent. Europe has recorded a comparable increase of 18.4 per cent over the same period. Across Asia meanwhile, fuel markets have been markedly more volatile, with average diesel and petrol prices in lower middle-income economies surging by as much as 66 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
Second, the severest burden of both the fuel-price increases and the ensuing strike fell upon society’s most vulnerable. While some Kenyans could retreat to remote work as striking workers paralysed roads, others, including watchmen, construction labourers and domestic workers, enjoyed no such luxury. Many were forced to trek for kilometres amid a collapse of public transport.
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They are also the ones most likely to suffer as fares rise further in tandem with the deepening conflict in the Middle East. Assistance therefore should be directed squarely at these vulnerable groups rather than dissipated through broad subsidies at the fuel pump.
Third, the strike laid bare the cost of forcing formal, such as Stagecoach, operators from the market. These firms were licensed to provide transport that was regular, scheduled, clean, safe and dependable, under clearly defined service-level obligations.
Congested roads
In their stead has emerged an informal and deeply extractive system of public transport, one that raises fares opportunistically at the first sign of rain, mounts pedestrian pavements with impunity and flouts traffic regulations with little fear of sanction. Worse, when aggrieved, the sector possesses the capacity to bring the country to a standstill.
Fourth, a mass-transit system is overdue. An electric rail network should have been in place decades ago. Such a system would be insulated from fluctuations in fuel supply and availability. More importantly, it would help unclog congested roads while offering a higher standard of service – safe, reliable, punctual and convenient. It would also be beyond the caprice of the informal transport sector.
Finally, the government should accelerate its plans to establish strategic fuel reserves. It remains overly dependent on inventories held by Oil Marketing Companies which are legally required to maintain 21 days of stock. These firms are sometimes constrained by liquidity pressures, particularly during international price spikes. As a result, they cannot always be relied upon as a national buffer against shortages.
The government’s plan to build at least 90 days of reserves, alongside stabilisation mechanisms, would strengthen consumer protection amid volatility. This would provide a critical buffer in an uncertain global energy market.