Transport sector strike has exposed deeper fuel crisis lessons

Public Transport strike paralysed transport . [ Bruna Mutunga, Standard]

Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after last week’s strike by the country’s transport sector was called off. The protests, staged by operators across multiple segments of the economy, brought much of the country to a standstill in opposition to recent increases in petroleum prices. Yet the episode raises a broader question: Was the strike justified in the first place?

With the conflict in the Middle East, a region that accounts for roughly a fifth of global fuel supplies, showing little sign of abating, volatility in energy markets is unlikely to dissipate soon. The disruptions therefore offer several lessons worth considering when weighing future responses to such economic shocks.