Matatu Operators have officially called off the nationwide strike scheduled for next week following extensive consultations with President William Ruto at State House Mombasa.
The announcement was made by Matatu Owners Association Chair Albert Karakacha, who said that the strike initially suspended for seven days to allow talks with the government, will now not proceed.
“We welcome the measures. We had suspended our strike to next week, but we have now called it off. We need to move forward by putting aside politics and building Kenya together to realise the Singapore dream,” he said.
The transport stakeholders had earlier suspended their strike on Friday, May 22, 2026, for one week to pave the way for talks aimed at resolving disputes over rising fuel costs that have increased transport fares and the overall cost of living.
Karakacha said the transport sector would work closely with the government to address concerns surrounding fuel prices and the challenges facing operators.
On his part, Federation of Public Transport Sector Chief Executive Officer, Kushian Muchiri, apologized to the public over the violence and destruction that occurred during protests held on May 19 and 20.
He noted that the protests had been infiltrated by goons, which caused the demonstrations to turn violent and led to incidents of destruction of property and disruption of public order.
“I would like to start by apologising to the country for the time we went on strike. We had directed that vehicles should be left at home, but unfortunately, goons infiltrated, political interests got involved, and as a result, people lost vehicles while schools and other institutions were vandalised,” he said.
During the press conference, President Ruto announced a further Ksh10 reduction in diesel prices for the June-July pricing cycle to ease concerns over pump prices.
