{"id":3131,"date":"2026-05-19T10:33:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/?p=3131"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:58:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:58:03","slug":"kindiki-announces-measure-to-caution-kenyans-amid-matatu-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/kindiki-announces-measure-to-caution-kenyans-amid-matatu-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Fearless Kindiki Speaks His Mind As Matatu Strikes Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"

As global oil markets convulse amid the escalating 2026 US-Israel-Iran conflict, Kenya\u2019s Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has issued a sobering message to citizens grappling with soaring fuel prices: the pain at the pump is not purely local \u2014 it is a direct casualty of war halfway across the world.<\/a><\/p>\n

In a strongly worded address that has ignited both support and fierce debate, Kindiki linked the sharp rise in local fuel costs to surging crude oil prices, disrupted freight routes, skyrocketing insurance premiums, and broader logistics chaos triggered by the Middle East conflict.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran is having a devastating ripple effect on global energy markets,\u201d Kindiki stated. \u201cThese are not abstract forces. They are hitting our ports, our transporters, and ultimately, the ordinary Kenyan trying to get to work or ferry goods to market.\u201dIn response, the Kenyan government has moved swiftly to cushion citizens.<\/p>\n

Key interventions include an immediate reduction of diesel prices by 10 shillings per litre, a slash in VAT on fuel from the standard 16% rate, and over 12 billion shillings already spent on fuel subsidies in just the past two months.<\/p>\n

Kindiki defended the government\u2019s broader fuel taxation policy, insisting that portions of the levies are critical for funding road infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other essential public services.
\n\u201cWe cannot eat all our seed,\u201d he remarked, warning that stripping taxes entirely would cripple long-term development projects that millions of Kenyans rely on.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Deputy President was equally uncompromising on the rising tensions at home. As protests against high living costs have swept parts of the country, Kindiki condemned acts of violence, arson, and destruction of private and public property. \u201cDisagreement is part of democracy, but anarchy and destruction are not,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will not allow rogue elements to hold the nation\u2019s progress hostage under the guise of protest.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

The remarks come as Kenyan motorists and businesses continue to feel the pinch. Many transporters have already hiked fares, while manufacturers warn of impending price increases on basic goods.
\nEnergy analysts note that until stability returns to the Strait of Hormuz and global supply chains, relief may remain temporary at best.<\/p>\n

Kindiki\u2019s address strikes a delicate balance \u2014 acknowledging global realities while defending tough domestic choices. Whether it calms a frustrated public or fuels further debate remains to be seen.As the war in the Middle East enters a dangerous new phase, one thing is clear: for countries like Kenya, the battlefield is not just physical \u2014 its economic shockwaves are being felt in every tank of fuel and every family budget across the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As global oil markets convulse amid the escalating 2026 US-Israel-Iran conflict, Kenya\u2019s Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has issued a sobering message to citizens grappling with soaring fuel prices: the pain at the pump is not purely local \u2014 it is a direct casualty of war halfway across the world. In a strongly worded address that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stateupdate.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-19-133215.jpg?fit=1153%2C598&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc68Dd-Ov","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3131"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3141,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131\/revisions\/3141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}