The Bold Standard: Total shutdown

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:01]Remember, according to the latest brief by the security CS Kithure Kindiki, up to four Kenyans were killed today during the protest even as 348 people have been arrested across the country and 30 have been injured during the fuel protests.

[00:00:20]We'll keep you updated in case of any other developments. Let's take a short break right here on KTN Prime, but as we do so, remember the latest is that no deal has been reached between the matatu sector players and the government. This has just been concluded after a high-level meeting was held today evening and it seems they weren't able to agree on the issues that they wanted canvassed. On one side, the government was willing to drop a fuel prices by roughly 10 shillings, but the matatu operators were insisting of a reduction by up to 46 shillings. We've understood that concerns around fuel adulteration were raised due to the disparity of prices between kerosene and diesel, but they still haven't gotten to a conclusion. [music] So, transport paralysis is what Kenyans are staring at tomorrow even as we hope for more negotiations. We take a short break right here even as we do so. Let's take you through the front page of Kenya's bold newspaper The Standard and the headline you'll be waking up to tomorrow, which is of course in line with the shutdown experienced across the country. Total shutdown, no deal, strike continues. The fuel fury, the country was effectively on lockdown as Kenyans poured into the streets to protest soaring fuel prices. As chaos unfolded at home, President William Ruto's social media pages were awash with images of him in [music] Baku, Azerbaijan meeting dignitaries, appearing detached from the unfolding crisis and the suffering of the very people who elected him especially at such a moment of national strain. [music] It was only in the evening that interior CS Kithure Kindiki held a press conference where he [music] appeared like a deer caught in the headlights to blame opposition politicians for the unrest. The remarks, as has become routine, leaned heavily on scapegoating with tribal undertones [music] while sidestepping the central reality. Wananachi were on the streets because life has become unbearable [music] under skyrocketing fuel prices with a ripple effect crippling the economy. [music] Pages four all the way to pages nine will have details on this particular story that brought the country to a standstill. Various sectors affected, education, transport, and the economy in general, even [music] as business people accounting losses. All that encompassed into tomorrow's edition of Kenya's bold [music] newspaper. Do make sure you grab yourself a copy. We take that short break. We'll be back in a few.