Protesters set ablaze a personal vehicle in Githurai, Nairobi County, during the anti-fuel prices demonstrations on Monday, May 18.
In a video clip shared online, the black Mazda CX-5 was engulfed in flames, with dark smoke billowing from the burning vehicle.
The protesters torched the vehicle in the middle of the service lane on the Nairobi-bound lane of the Thika Super Highway.
Preliminary reports indicate the driver allegedly insisted on passing through the section, despite protesters' demands to turn back.
A crowd of protesters were spotted in the vicinity, chanting anti-fuel prices slogans as they watched the vehicle go up in flames. The driver was forced to abandon the vehicle and run for safety.
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Anti-riot police arrived at the scene and lobbed teargas cannisters to disperse the protesters and onlookers who were drawn to the fire.
The torching of the vehicle sparked outrage among Kenyans who questioned why the protesters had turned their frustration against a fellow citizen.
Some Kenyans claimed that the people who set the car ablaze were not normal protesters, but goons who had infiltrated the demonstrations.
"This Mazda CX-5 has been burned down in Githurai. Please, private car owners, stay at home. Goons have invaded the maadamano," Geoffrey Moturi warned.
Earlier, protesters had set up barricades along multiple sections of Thika Road, forcing motorists to turn back. Traffic was also paralysed across multiple roads in Nairobi.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, protests were witnessed in multiple counties, including Machakos, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Mombasa, Kiambu, Kajiado, Embu, Murang’a, and Makueni.
In another case, passengers aboard a Nyamira Express Bus from Mombasa to Nyamira were forced to alight from the bus by protesters at Mariakani.
The Matatu Owners Association and the Motorists Association of Kenya had announced the strike to protest the new fuel prices in the country, which saw the cost of petrol jump by Ksh16 per litre and diesel increase by Ksh46 per litre.
The strike paralysed public transport across the country. In Nairobi, commuters were left stranded during their transit to work on Monday morning.
Police officers have been deployed to restore order and remove the barricades along major roads. Protesters want the government to reduce the fuel prices, arguing that the hike has ripple effects across multiple sectors of the economy.
