NAIROBI, May 19 (Reuters) – Kenya’s government said on Tuesday that a public transport strike in protest against fuel price hikes triggered by the Iran war would be called off for a week, a day after four people were killed in protests across the country.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told a televised press conference that the one-week strike suspension would allow for more talks between the government and transport operators.
Negotiations on Monday, the first day of the strike, failed to reach an agreement, despite the government agreeing to lower the diesel price.
Bus and minibus services across Kenya were disrupted on Tuesday morning and some schools shut.
Many commuters were forced to walk, or pay far more than usual, to get to work as public anger spread over the rising cost of living.
Kenya imports nearly all its fuel products from the Middle East via government-to-government deals with Gulf suppliers.
Fuel price hikes in the past two months have sharply raised transport fares and pushed up the cost of basic goods, deepening pressure on households already struggling to make ends meet.
(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo Nzilani;Editing by Alexander Winning)
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