Matatu Workers Threaten National Transport Shutdown Over Exclusion From State House Fuel Deal

Less than a week after a nationwide transport crisis appeared resolved, public transport workers have threatened to bring the country to a standstill yet again, accusing their employers and the government of locking them out of vital economic negotiations.

During a joint press briefing on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, the Matatu Workers Union (MWU) and the Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association (LODCA) issued a fierce strike notice, vowing to paralyze roads unless the state directly addresses the plight of frontline transit laborers.

Crew Bearing the Brunt of High Operational Costs

The fresh unrest stems from an internal industry dispute over how profit margins are split on the ground. MWU Secretary General Maurice Oduor explicitly blamed vehicle owners (operators) for refusing to lower their daily targets (hesabu), leaving drivers and conductors to absorb the crushing financial deficit caused by expensive fuel.

“Employers have decided that they will take their money,” Oduor explained plainly. “If a car was target-set at KSh 8,000, the owner will still demand KSh 8,000, completely ignoring the fact that the cost of fuel has gone up sharply.”

Because matatu crews are traditionally paid from whatever money is left over after fueling the vehicle and paying the owner’s fixed daily rate, workers argue that rigid employer demands have effectively wiped out their daily wages.

A Fragile State House Truce Unravels

The sudden threat of a transport shutdown comes just days after a separate nationwide matatu strike was officially called off on May 22, 2026. That breakthrough was achieved following direct consultations between President William Ruto and transport sector owners at State House in Mombasa.

The high-level executive intervention successfully yielded an immediate KSh 10 reduction in diesel prices, bringing the retail cost down to KSh 232.86 per liter until the next Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) review cycle in June.

However, by negotiating exclusively with vehicle owners and fleet managers rather than the unions representing frontline drivers and conductors, the government’s deal has exposed a deep rift within the multi-billion shilling sector. Commuters across major urban hubs now face the grim prospect of another transport paralysis if a secondary round of labor negotiations is not fast-tracked.