Four Kenyans d!ed and at least 30 were injured on Monday in fuel price protests triggered by the Middle East war, which saw the country’s public transport system grind to a halt.
One of many African countries dependent on fuel imports from the Gulf, Kenya has been heavily affected by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
Last week, the Kenyan government announced 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.
“It’s unfortunate that we lost four Kenyans in today’s violence, which also saw more than 30 people injured,” interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters.
While most of the east African country remained peaceful, he alleged that “criminal elements” had been mobilised to target government and personal property. Police had made 348 arrests and the roads had now been cleared, he said.
Credit: TRT AFRIKA