Matatu operators suspend a nationwide strike for one week following renewed talks with government over diesel prices, after tense Transcom House standoff.

📻 Breaking It Down

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 19 — Transport sector leaders who dramatically rejected the government’s fuel deal on Monday have now agreed to suspend the nationwide matatu strike for one week to allow fresh negotiations aimed at resolving the standoff over soaring diesel prices.

Leading the shift in tone was transport stakeholder representative Kennedy Kaunda, who had publicly contradicted Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi during chaotic scenes at Transcom House on Monday night, after the government prematurely announced a breakthrough in talks.

On Tuesday, however, Kaunda confirmed that transport operators had agreed to temporarily suspend the strike and give negotiations another chance.

📌 What You Need to Know

“With all due respect, and the respect that we have been given today here, we want to extend that respect to the media and to the nation,” Kaunda said.

“What we have agreed here is that the strike has been suspended.”

Kaunda, who is Group CEO of the Tourist Guide Association, added that operators remained prepared to resume industrial action if talks fail to produce a meaningful outcome within seven days.

“Since we have suspended the strike to give room for negotiation, and if we are not able to agree, we’ll come back for the same,” he warned.

The breakthrough followed a fresh round of high-level consultations between government officials and public transport leaders after Monday’s tense fallout, where matatu operators openly rejected Wandayi’s claim that an agreement had already been reached.

During the Monday night briefing, operators accused the government of misrepresenting the outcome, insisting that the Sh10 reduction in diesel prices fell far short of their demand for a Sh30 to Sh46 per litre cut.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya