With all due respect: Kaunda breaks silence after viral outburst

Chairperson of the Tour Guides Association Kennedy Kaunda clashed with Transport CS Opiyo Wandayi on May 18,2026 after talks of a deal to end the transport sector strike yielded no agreement. [Screegrab]

After a day marked by long walks and transport paralysis caused by a nationwide matatu strike, many Kenyans remained glued to their television screens on Monday night awaiting the outcome of a crucial meeting between public service vehicle operators and the government.

Shortly after 9pm, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi emerged from Nairobi’s Transcom House flanked by leaders of the transport sector to address the nation.

Wandayi confidently announced that the government and operators had reached an agreement to end the strike. But moments after he concluded his remarks, Kennedy Kaunda stepped forward and stunned the audience by publicly contradicting the Cabinet Secretaries, insisting no agreement had been reached and that the strike was still on.

In a calm but firm statement that began with the words “with all due respect,” Kaunda, chairperson of the Tour Guides Association, clarified that the meeting had failed to resolve the standoff, leaving government officials visibly embarrassed.

Almost instantly, clips of his remarks spread across social media, turning him into the unexpected face of the two-day protest. But speaking to The Standard later at his office, Kaunda said he never anticipated the attention that followed his remarks.

“I never expected the kind of attention that followed, but I have always been taught to speak the truth. That principle has guided me throughout my life,” he said. “I have received many calls, some from senior people who have told me that I made a mistake by embarrassing the government officials,” he added.

Kaunda, a father of four from Kisii County, said he has worked in the tourism industry for more than 20 years, rising from junior ranks to leadership positions. He says the current fuel prices are among the worst the sector has experienced.

 “I started from the bottom in tourism, learning tour guiding from basic level to advanced training. That is why it pains me when diesel prices rise,” he said.

According to Kaunda, he has attended meetings on fuel pricing since 2015 while advocating for the interests of tour operators and guides, describing the latest fuel price increase as a major setback for the tourism sector.

“I have always championed professionalism in tour guiding. I started as a driver and worked my way up, which is why I have remained committed to defending the sector for more than a decade,” he said.

Kaunda attributed his outspoken nature to the values instilled in him while growing up.

“My father taught me never to fear speaking the truth. It is part of who I am,” he said.

He argued that tour operators are rarely consulted when fuel prices are adjusted upward, despite the direct impact such increases have on tourism businesses. He said most tour operators had already issued quotations to local and international tourists last year.

“Changing the rates as a result of fuel prices after some clients have paid will be unfair,” he explained.

He said the tourism sector depends heavily on transport and hospitality. “That is why I stepped forward, because if that increment stays, then my allowances will drop, and I will not be able to pay my bills.”