How transporters' strike, demos threw more fuel to ethnic flames

As the country edges closer to the 2027 General Election, negative ethnicity is once again beginning to rear its ugly head.

Ethnicity has long been the base of political mobilisation in Kenya, with the practice becoming more pronounced every electoral cycle.

This week’s transporters’ strike, triggered by the sharp rise in fuel prices, brought ethnic tensions to the fore, with some politicians and senior government officials giving the boycott an ethnic dimension.

The politicians largely sought to portray the nationwide matatu strike, which ended on Tuesday, as a plot by members of a certain community to sabotage President William Ruto’s administration.

Politicians, including Cabinet Secretaries, accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders from the Mt Kenya region of mobilising members of his community to protest against the government.

The politicians argued that the transport sector did not stage similar protests when the country experienced high fuel prices following the Russia-Ukraine conflict while Uhuru was in office.

Members of the Kikuyu community have significant investments in the public transport sector in Nairobi and major urban centres.

The Mt Kenya region overwhelmingly voted for Ruto in the 2022 General Election, contributing significantly to his victory.

However, the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in 2024, coupled with accusations that the government has failed to fulfil its pre-election pledges, has eroded Ruto’s support in the region.

Cabinet Secretaries and influential politicians aligned to the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition made thinly veiled remarks that were widely perceived as attempts to mobilise opinion against the Kikuyu community.

Leading the pro-government offensive were Cabinet Secretaries John Mbadi (National Treasury) and Kipchumba Murkomen (Interior), National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, and UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar.

In what appeared to be a well-coordinated campaign, the politicians castigated leaders from a region perceived to be Mt Kenya over their alleged role in planning and sponsoring the fuel protests.

The barrage of attacks against Uhuru elicited sharp responses from politicians from the Mt Kenya region, led by Gachagua, who addressed a media conference in the United Kingdom, where he is on a political tour.

The leaders, who came to the defence of the former President, rebuked the government officials and urged them instead to address the escalating cost of living driven by high fuel prices.

The bitter exchanges between the two opposing camps, many of them laced with ethnic undertones, have the potential to polarise the country ahead of the next election.

Uhuru’s tenure

Government allies insinuated that by failing to protest when Uhuru was in office, stakeholders in the public transport sector had deliberately shielded one of their own and were now frustrating President Ruto simply because he comes from a different ethnic community.

Mbadi faced criticism from a section of Kenyans for remarks perceived as divisive and tribal.

Critics, including lawyer Willis Otieno, condemned the remarks attributed to Mbadi, accusing him of invoking ethnic sentiments to rally regional support while simultaneously serving in a broad-based, cross-tribal national government.

While addressing the nation on the fuel price protests from the steps of Harambee House, Murkomen questioned why the transport sector had not organised similar strikes during Uhuru’s tenure.

Murkomen urged players in the public transport sector to show “the same restraint” towards President Ruto’s administration, arguing that the fuel price increases were part of a global trend following the outbreak of the Iran-US conflict.

During the media briefing, the CS suggested that the ongoing protests were politically motivated and ethnically targeted.

He questioned why transport operators had “understood” and cooperated with the previous administration but were aggressively confronting the current one.

“Why did the leaders of the matatu industry feel that it was okay to understand President Uhuru Kenyatta, but when it is William Ruto, they should go to the streets?” he posed.

Governance and policy analyst Joseph Omondi warned that the ethnic-based exchanges between rival political camps could push the country to the brink.

“The nation or the state seems to have been lost or become insignificant as politicians scramble for the eco-political soul of Kenya,” Omondi said.

He added: “Very emotional words have been exchanged, threats issued, and bets placed on the politics of 2027. The anger that politicians are retailing, which has generated insults, stereotypes, innuendos and tension among their followers, does not portend well for the country.”

UDA Secretary-General Omar also came under fire following a press briefing in which he commented on the nationwide fuel and transport sector protests.

His remarks regarding the demographics of the protesters and his broader commentary on tribalism drew criticism from both members of the public and political leaders.

During his address, Omar made comments that critics interpreted as ethnically profiling the protesters.

Omar argued that certain interests were attempting to destroy infrastructure and destabilise the country.

His remarks sparked uproar on social media, with critics pointing to his past as a human rights advocate and condemning his current stance on the high cost of living and the right to protest.

Cool down

People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua criticised Omar’s remarks as regressive and divisive.

Wetang’ula, the Speaker of the National Assembly, while addressing mourners at a funeral in Nyandarua County on Tuesday, also appeared to blame members of one community for the unrest that characterised the protests over fuel prices.

“I am begging you, please let us not destroy our country. Peace is very difficult to define, but it is very easy to notice its absence.

“Those who are angry, please cool down,” he said in apparent reference to politicians from the Mt Kenya region opposed to the current administration.

Masese Kemunche, a human rights advocate and governance expert, said it was disturbing that some politicians appeared intent on reigniting inter-ethnic tensions.

“Tribe has assumed a very prominent place in public discourse. This is dangerous as we head towards elections,” he warned.

Kemunche, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance, a Nakuru-based non-governmental organisation, recalled that the 2007/08 post-election violence exposed how quickly tribal tensions could push the country to the brink of civil war.

He warned that the stakes in the next election would be higher than ever, increasing the risk of another disputed outcome and political instability if urgent interventions are not undertaken early enough.