MOMBASA, Kenya — Kenya’s week-long public transport crisis came to an end on Friday, May 22, after matatu operators and President William Ruto reached an agreement at State House in Mombasa — and the roads are set to run normally again from Monday.
The nationwide strike, which began on May 18 following a steep fuel price hike by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), had paralysed transport across the country, forcing thousands of commuters to walk to work and school for days. The EPRA review had pushed diesel prices in Nairobi to Ksh242.92 per litre — a jump of Ksh46.29 — triggering a rapid and widespread walkout by matatu operators, truck drivers, boda boda riders, and online taxi operators.
The strike had been temporarily suspended on Tuesday for seven days to allow negotiations. On Friday, those negotiations produced a final result.
Federation of Public Transport Sector Chairperson Edwin Mukabana made the announcement at a joint press briefing at State House, Mombasa.
“I am announcing to all our members — especially our investors, drivers, and conductors — that following our deliberations with His Excellency, the strike we had suspended has now been fully called off. We expect this to take immediate effect, and everyone should return their vehicles to the road,” Mukabana said.
Matatu Owners Association Chairman Albert Karakacha echoed the declaration, making it unambiguous.
“We have called off the strike. We had suspended the strike, but we have called it off. We will not have a strike next week — we are going to work,” Karakacha said. He also thanked Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for his role as a mediator during the standoff.
The key concession from the government was a further reduction of Ksh10 per litre in diesel prices, effective from the June–July pricing cycle. After the adjustment, diesel in Nairobi will drop to Ksh222.86 per litre, while super petrol will hold at Ksh214.25 and kerosene at Ksh191.38. Operators also expressed satisfaction with presidential directives on insurance and the controversial matatu graffiti ban — two long-standing grievances in the sector.
President Ruto, who addressed the press at the same briefing, said the government had already spent Ksh13.7 billion in the April and May pricing cycles to cushion Kenyans from global oil market shocks. He pushed back at critics seeking to politicise the crisis.
“I know there are those who are trying to turn this global crisis into politics — people seeking to exploit public pain for political gain,” Ruto said. “But leadership requires honesty, not political opportunism or playing populist politics.”
Association of Matatu Transport Owners (AMTO) Chairperson Kushian Muchiri offered a rare public apology for disruptions during the protests, acknowledging that the industrial action had been infiltrated.
“We apologise for the time we went on strike. We had directed that vehicles stay at home, but goons infiltrated and political interests came in — people lost property,” Muchiri said.
With the strike now fully called off, Kenyans can expect public transport to run normally next week. Transport operators said they will continue engaging with Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Davis Chirchir to address outstanding sector concerns.
As Karakacha put it: “Let’s build our country — politics will come in 2027.”
