Demonstrators clashed with police in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Tuesday over recent fuel price increases announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), adding fresh tension to an already strained cost-of-living crisis gripping Kenyan households.
EPRA’s latest review raised super petrol to KES 206.97 per litre and diesel to KES 206.84 per litre — increases that protesters say are unsustainable for ordinary Kenyans.
Police declared the demonstrations unlawful, citing a lack of the required advance notice to authorities. Anti-riot squads moved in to disperse crowds near Moi Avenue, and at least 11 people were arrested in connection with the unrest.
The protests reflect growing public frustration over the rising cost of living in Kenya, with fuel prices directly feeding into the costs of transport, food, and basic goods across the country.
On the same day, businessman Oketch Salah unveiled “Salah na Ruto,” a pro-President William Ruto movement aimed at mobilising support ahead of the 2027 general elections. The launch, complete with branded merchandise, drew sharp attention given its timing — two years before polls and on a day marked by anti-government demonstrations.
The contrasting events—street protests over economic hardship on one hand and a presidential re-election campaign launch on the other—laid bare Kenya’s deepening political and economic divide as the country heads toward its next electoral cycle.
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