Nairobi — The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), a member of the Transport Sector Alliance that organized the nationwide fuel protests suspended on Tuesday, has accused leaders from the PSV and TSV subsectors of betraying the movement after agreeing to suspend the strike following closed-door talks with government officials.
Reacting to the strike suspesion on Wednesday, the association said the decision to halt the industrial action for one week had been reached without consulting the full alliance, despite earlier agreements that no single subsector would negotiate independently with the government.
"For days, the Transport Sector Alliance worked tirelessly to build what was shaping up to be one of the most significant nationwide protests in recent history," the association said.
The group argued that the alliance had brought together truck owners, taxi operators, tour drivers, digital boda boda riders, private motorists, cargo transporters, PSV operators and ordinary wananchi under a shared pushback against soaring fuel prices and the rising cost of living.
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However, the motorists' lobby claimed that some leaders from the PSV and TSV sectors broke ranks by holding private meetings with Cabinet Secretaries and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja before announcing a temporary suspension of the strike.
"Unfortunately, as has happened before, a few familiar actors met privately with government officials without informing others," the statement said.
"These meetings were conducted in direct violation of the agreed rules of engagement."
1-week suspension
The accusations emerged a day after transport stakeholders announced a one-week suspension of the nationwide strike to pave the way for fresh negotiations with the government over diesel prices.
Kennedy Kaunda, representing the Tourist Guide Association, announced Tuesday that operators had agreed to temporarily call off the strike after renewed consultations with senior government officials.
"What we have agreed here is that the strike has been suspended," Kaunda said, while warning that industrial action would resume if talks fail to yield meaningful results within seven days.
The government had earlier announced a Sh10 reduction in diesel prices, a move transport operators initially rejected, insisting it fell far below their demand for a Sh30 to Sh46 cut per litre.
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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen defended the government's intervention, saying additional measures had been introduced to cushion Kenyans from the rising cost of fuel while negotiations continue.
Despite the truce, the Motorists Association of Kenya insisted that the suspension had weakened what it described as a rare nationwide coalition capable of forcing broader economic reforms.
The association further warned that frustrations within the alliance remained high and signaled that some members could continue mobilizing independently if negotiations collapse.
