NAIROBI — Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said four people were killed, more than 30 injured and at least 348 arrested during nationwide protests in Kenya on Monday over rising fuel prices. Murkomen announced the figures during a televised press conference in Nairobi.

"We lost four Kenyans in today's violence, which also saw more than 30 people injured," Murkomen said. He alleged that criminal elements had been mobilised to target government and personal property, and said the protests had been hijacked by political actors for political ends. Most of Kenya remained peaceful during the demonstrations, he added.

Streets leading towards Nairobi's centre were deserted on Monday as police fired tear gas at protesters who had thrown stones and blocked major roads with burning tyres. Strikes affected major cities, including Nairobi and Mombasa, and commuters in several towns walked long distances to work and school because of the transport stoppage.

Transport unions demanded that the government reverse a recent fuel price increase. Kenya raised retail fuel prices by 24.2 percent last month and by a further 23.5 percent last week. Higher fuel costs have been accompanied by increases in the prices of food and other basic goods.

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum defended the fuel price hike, citing sustained volatility in global oil markets due to the war in Iran. Kenya is dependent on fuel imports from the Gulf and has been heavily affected by Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil shipments normally pass.

Describing the scene in the capital, correspondent Malcom Webb said, "This demonstration has brought the city to a near standstill. It started with the private bus operators, which provide most transport for hundreds of thousands of people commuting every day." Webb added: "That message resonated with people frustrated, people who live hand to mouth, who have had to put up with a 25 percent increase last month and the same again announced last week. This is crippling for people trying to get by and for those in the transport business."

Vocal Africa, in a social media post, strongly condemned the use of lethal force by law enforcement that claimed the lives of four citizens during the fuel protests. In June 2024, police in Kenya opened fire on people protesting tax rises, and over the past two years crackdowns on protests in the country have killed dozens of people.