By East Africa Journal Reporter
Wiper leader and former Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has accused President William Ruto’s administration of plunging the country into economic paralysis following the recent fuel price increases announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) last week.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Office of the 10th Vice President of the Republic of Kenya, Kalonzo said the nationwide transport disruption affecting thousands of Kenyans was a calculated and foreseeable consequence of government policies that prioritize political interests over the welfare of ordinary citizens.
According to Kalonzo, the fuel price adjustments announced on May 14, 2026, raised the cost of diesel by Ksh46.29 per litre and super petrol by Ksh16.65 per litre, further worsening the high cost of living facing many Kenyans.
He said the increase was implemented without consultation for struggling households, workers, traders, students, and transport operators across the country.
Kalonzo defended the ongoing strike by the Transport Sector Alliance, describing it as a legitimate response to what he termed “illegitimate policy.”
“The Transport Sector Alliance did not act without cause, and their strike is a legitimate response to illegitimate policy,” he stated, adding that the government should bear responsibility for the economic paralysis being witnessed across the country.
The Wiper leader warned that the impact of the fuel hike was already being felt nationwide, with supply chains disrupted, food prices rising, and business activities slowing down in major towns and transport corridors including Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Naivasha, Taveta, Garissa, Tseikuru, and Sugoi.
He further accused the government of subjecting Kenyans to sustained economic hardship through increased taxation and rising living costs.
Kalonzo called on Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi to immediately reverse the fuel price increase and resign from office.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Energy must take the most consequential act of his tenure and immediately reverse the fuel price hike and resign,” he said.
He also urged President Ruto to initiate immediate dialogue with the Transport Sector Alliance, warning that continued resistance to negotiations would amount to negligence rather than governance.
Kalonzo said the opposition coalition, which he referred to as the United Alternative Government alongside the Wiper Patriotic Front and Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, was ready to facilitate talks aimed at resolving the impasse.
In addition, he demanded that the government provide a transparent and credible framework for stabilizing fuel prices and protecting ordinary Kenyans from abrupt price shocks.
“As the United Alternative Government, we stand firmly with the people of Kenya. This Ruto regime has auctioned and abandoned you, but we have not, and we shall not,” Kalonzo said.
On Monday, thousands of Kenyan commuters were stranded and businesses paralysed as public transport operators went on a nationwide strike to protest against recent increases in fuel prices.
Key roads in the capital, Nairobi, remained largely empty, forcing some commuters to walk to work, while other parts of the country were also affected by the transport crisis. Businesses in parts of Nairobi remained shut, and some schools advised students to stay at home.
