Four people are said to have been killed, 30 injured, in protests over oil prices in Kenya Objections

International protests disrupt cities as rising oil prices cause unrest.

At least four people have been killed and 30 injured in Kenya during international protests over rising fuel prices.

At least 348 people were arrested on Monday, according to Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, as people took to the streets to show support for the international strike.

The government must be vigilant, because the protests that have taken place in the last two years have threatened to get out of control, despite the violent protests that have killed many people.

“We lost four Kenyans in today’s violence, and ⁠— more than 30 people were injured,” Murkomen said at a televised press conference.

Roads leading into Nairobi’s city center were abandoned on Monday after police fired tear gas at protesters, who threw stones and blocked highways with burning tires, Al Jazeera’s Malcom Webb reported from the Kenyan capital.

The strikes have affected major cities, including the capital and the southern city of Mombasa, where many people rely on buses. Commuters in several towns were forced to walk long distances to work and school.

Transport unions have called on the government to reverse the recent fuel price hike. Kenya’s crude oil prices rose by 23.5 percent last week, following a 24.2 percent increase last month.

Rising oil prices are now pushing up the prices of food and other essentials, affecting the livelihoods of many of the country’s already struggling economy.

“This show has brought the city to a standstill,” Webb said. “It started with private bus operators, who provide mass transportation to thousands of people who travel every day.”

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum defended the increase in oil prices, saying the decision was taken due to instability in global oil markets due to the Iran war.

One of the many African countries that depend on oil from the Gulf, Kenya has been hit hard by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil imports pass.

Murkomen said many countries in East Africa remain peaceful, but he says “terrorists” have gone out of their way to destroy the government and their property. He added that the demonstrations were “hijacked by politicians to achieve political goals”.

However, opposition leader Rigathi Gachagua accused President William Ruto and his business partners of taking advantage of Kenyans and driving up prices to raise profits.

“That message resonated with the desperate people, the people who live hand to mouth, who had to put up with a 25 percent increase last month and the same thing that was announced last week. This is hurting people who are trying to get by and those in the transportation business,” Webb said.

Condemnation of the deaths was swift. Kenyan rights group Vocal Africa said on social media that it “strongly condemns the use of lethal force that has tragically killed four people during the oil protests”.

Protests in Kenya have worsened in recent years. Last year, several people were killed when police and security forces clashed with youth protesters who took to the streets to protest against a myriad of issues, including. police brutalitycorruption in the government, and high taxes.

In June 2024, police opened fire on dozens of protesters against tax hikes, killing at least 60 people, according to rights groups.