NAIROBI, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya announced on Tuesday a one-week suspension of a public transport strike following deadly protests over a sharp surge in fuel prices that left four people dead.
Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen, cabinet secretary for Interior and National Administration, said the one-week pause will allow the government and transport stakeholders to continue consultations.
"The government remains fully committed to addressing concerns raised by Kenyans at all times and calls for peaceful and legal means of airing grievances," Murkomen told a joint news conference in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The strike, which began on Monday over rising fuel prices, paralyzed public transport and the education sector across major towns in the East African nation.
The Transport Sector Alliance, which called the strike, has since called on its members to resume operations nationwide.
Kenya's Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) raised monthly fuel prices on May 14, increasing super petrol by 16.65 shillings (0.12 U.S. dollars) per liter and diesel by a record 46.29 shillings.
According to EPRA, the increase was driven by rising global crude costs and supply chain disruptions linked to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.
