A planned nationwide transport strike over high fuel costs has collapsed amid accusations of betrayal, exposing deep divisions within the sector and triggering a bitter war of words among stakeholders who had initially united against the government.
The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has accused some industry players of secretly negotiating with government officials and calling off the planned strike without the knowledge or consent of the broader Transport Sector Alliance.
MAK, working with sidelined stakeholders, said the move undermined months of mobilisation that had brought together truck owners, trailer operators, taxi and cab associations, bus companies, tour drivers, cargo transporters, digital boda boda riders and private motorists.
For days, the alliance had been building momentum for what organisers described as one of the most coordinated transport shutdowns in recent years, driven by anger over rising fuel prices and the cost of living.
The group said the strike was meant to push for relief on what it described as cumulative fuel increases affecting diesel, petrol and kerosene, with some estimates placing the burden at up to KSh 76 per litre across products.
MAK said the alliance had agreed that all negotiations with government would be conducted collectively, with no single subsector authorised to strike separate deals.
However, it now alleges that some players held private meetings with senior government officials, including Cabinet Secretaries and the Governor of Nairobi, contrary to agreed terms.
“These meetings were conducted in direct violation of the agreed rules of engagement. The understanding was clear: government representatives were to come before the full alliance,” MAK said.
The association said the process ended in what it termed a narrow agreement that only addressed diesel prices, leaving out petrol and kerosene.
Instead of the broad relief demanded by the sector, MAK said, one group returned with what it described as a token concession.
“Instead, one subsector broke ranks and pursued a narrow deal focused solely on diesel, ignoring the broader grievances that had united the sector. This was not a victory. It was a surrender,” the association said.
In a further escalation, MAK accused unnamed actors of repeatedly mobilising public anger over economic hardship only to abandon collective positions during negotiations.
“While ordinary Kenyans continue to suffer under punishing transport costs, inflated food prices and a relentless rise in the cost of living, some individuals continue to ride on the frustrations of the people only to sell them out at the negotiating table,” it said.
The association went further, claiming that government officials are aware of the individuals it accuses of switching positions during negotiations.
“The government is fully aware of who these actors are. They know who repeatedly mobilises the public and then quietly abandons them when personal interests are satisfied,” MAK said.
The collapse of the strike has now exposed widening cracks within a sector that had, for a brief moment, presented a rare unified front against fuel pricing policies and taxation.
What began as coordinated mobilisation has since degenerated into accusations of betrayal, parallel negotiations and broken trust, with stakeholders now divided over who had the mandate to speak on behalf of the broader alliance.
The planned industrial action had been expected to significantly disrupt transport operations across the country, but internal disagreements appear to have weakened the coalition before it could be tested on the streets.
Government officials had not responded to the allegations at the time of going to press.
The developments now leave the transport sector in a fragile state, with analysts warning that the lack of unity could weaken future attempts to pressure government over fuel pricing and broader economic grievances.
