Kennedy Kaunda, chairperson of the Tour Guide Association, has dismissed allegations that he received a payoff to agree to negotiations aimed at ending the standoff over fuel prices.
Speaking during an interview at Spice FM, Kaunda said he did not receive any financial compensation, contrary to speculation circulating on social media.
“I have not received any envelope and I am not ready to receive one. My conscience is clear and my spirit is clear,” he said, according to *The Star*.
Kaunda came into the spotlight after he openly challenged Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir during a press briefing on the fuel price dispute.
During the session, Wandayi appeared to suggest that an agreement had been reached to end the impasse. However, Kaunda interjected and disputed that account, saying no final agreement had been made to call off the strike.
He began his remarks with the phrase, “With all due respect,” a moment that quickly gained attention online after he directly contradicted the official narrative.
On Tuesday, May 19, the nationwide matatu strike was suspended for one week to allow talks with the government over rising fuel prices.
Kaunda, who was also present at the briefing, later clarified that the decision to suspend the strike had been made collectively to allow room for dialogue.
“With all due respect, we have agreed here together with CS Wandayi, CS Murkomen and our able governor that the strike has been suspended. Since we have a nation to build and a government to learn, Kenya is ours and we should build it. As for now the nation should run,” he said.
With the President away on an overseas trip, Kaunda has since said there have been no follow-up meetings after the May 19 agreement. Speaking on Spice FM, he said he was asked to join the discussions late, as he was not initially aware of the meeting.
“A friend of mine called me and asked if I was aware of the meeting with the Cabinet secretaries. He told me the meeting was almost over. Being the person trending, I said I could not be left out. I was told to take the fastest means and I took a bodaboda,” he said.
He added that upon arrival, he and others were initially stopped but later allowed into the meeting after verification, as proceedings were concluding.
Journalists Ndu Nkoh and Dennis Aseto asked whether he supported the revised fuel prices issued by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) for the period May 19 to June 14, 2026.
Kaunda said he was not satisfied with the Sh10.06 reduction in diesel prices, arguing it should have been higher, around Sh30 to Sh35.
Diesel prices were reduced by Sh10.06 per litre, kerosene increased by Sh38.60 per litre, while petrol prices remained unchanged.