Chai on the Highway: Women break fuel price protest tension with tea on Nakuru–Nairobi road

Women take tea during the high fuel protest in Nakuru-Nairobi Highway on May 18, 2026 / Screengrab

A light moment was witnessed online on Monday during demonstrations over the high fuel prices across thecountry after a group of women was seen calmly seated in the middle of the Nakuru–Nairobi Highway.

The videos circulating on social media showed the women seated on chairs on the roadway as they shared tea and held a casual discussion in what appeared to be an unusually calm scene amid nationwide disruptions.

Despite their presence on the highway, no vehicles were seen passing in either direction, with the road largely deserted as motorists stayed away due to ongoing protests over fuel prices.

The unusual roadside gathering quickly attracted attention online, with users sharing mixed reactions ranging from humour to curiosity about the situation unfolding on one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors.

The incident comes against the backdrop of demonstrations in several parts of the country, which have disrupted transport networks and led to reduced movement of vehicles as motorists and transport operators responded to the rising cost of fuel.

Earlier, matatu touts and drivers in Kitale town, Trans Nzoia County, transformed the usually busy bus park into an improvised athletics track as they sought to pass time during the nationwide matatu strike protesting high fuel prices.

In scenes that contrasted sharply with the transport paralysis witnessed across the country, the crew turned the otherwise solemn atmosphere into a lively spectacle, engaging in mock relay races using sticks in place of batons.

Cheered on by amused pedestrians and small-scale traders operating around the bus park, the participants sprinted around the terminus with enthusiasm as colleagues and onlookers followed closely behind, laughing and shouting encouragement.

What would ordinarily have been a crowded transport hub filled with revving engines, conductors calling passengers and commuters rushing to various destinations instead became an open playground for idle crews waiting out the shutdown.

The spontaneous races injected moments of humour into a day otherwise marked by uncertainty, cancelled travel plans and economic losses for both operators and commuters.

Kitale, a key agricultural and commercial centre in the North Rift region, depends heavily on public transport for the movement of traders, workers, students and farm produce.

But with most matatus remaining parked following the strike called by the Transport Sector Alliance, movement within the town slowed significantly, leaving bus parks deserted and businesses struggling with reduced customer traffic.

Elsewhere in Bomet, matatu operators also turned the shutdown into an opportunity for recreation after converting a bus terminus into a makeshift playground.

In videos shared on X, some operators were seen laughing, running around and playing games in the middle of the bus park as others watched from groups nearby.

The lighter moments among operators emerged even as thousands of commuters across the country grappled with the harsh realities of the transport paralysis triggered by soaring fuel prices.