Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has defended the nationwide fuel strike, blaming the government’s fuel price hike for crippling transport operations and worsening the cost-of-living crisis.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 — Wiper leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has defended the ongoing Transport Sector Alliance-led fuel strike, describing it as a legitimate response to what he termed the government’s indifference to the suffering of ordinary Kenyans.

In a statement issued Monday, Kalonzo blamed the nationwide transport paralysis on the government’s recent fuel price hike, arguing that the disruption was a direct consequence of policies that have made operations unsustainable for transport operators.

“The Transport Sector Alliance did not act without cause, and their strike is a legitimate response to illegitimate policy,” Kalonzo said.

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He accused President William Samoei Ruto’s administration of ignoring the economic hardships facing Kenyans, saying the latest increase in fuel prices had compounded an already dire cost-of-living crisis.

The opposition leader criticised the May 14 announcement by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which raised diesel prices by Sh46.29 per litre and super petrol by Sh16.65 per litre.

According to Kalonzo, the increases were introduced without adequate public consultation and failed to consider their impact on workers, traders, students and households struggling with rising living costs.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of Kenyans are stranded across the country. This is not a natural disaster. It is the foreseeable consequence of a regime that has repeatedly placed its interests above the welfare of its people,” he said.

Kalonzo warned that the transport shutdown was already triggering wider economic disruption, citing interruptions in supply chains, rising food prices and slowed business activity across several regions.

He said the burden of the crisis should be borne by those in government rather than ordinary citizens already grappling with economic pressure.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya