A few days after petroleum prices were raised by more than 20%, thousands of commuters in Kenya are stranded as public transport operators are on a nationwide strike.

This comes at a time when the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) of Kenya on Thursday last week hiked fuel prices to 242 shillings ($1.8; £1.4) a litre for diesel and petrol to $1.65.

People are walking to work, and schools remain closed. The demonstrators have been blocking roads and setting fire.

Before the strike, the police assured Kenyans that security measures would be in place and warned against any disruptive conduct, however, the demonstrations have been marred with violence as protesters were seen harassing road users and police used tear gas to disperse them.

In the long run, the Transport Sector Alliance (TSA) in Kenya has accused the government of Kenya of not doing enough to protect Kenyans from the rising fuel prices, amid a broader high cost-of-living crisis.

Meanwhile, the alliance has since urged the government to reduce the prices by 35%.

The fuel hike has been driven by the US-Israel conflict with Iran, which has disrupted oil supply on the globe.