NAIROBI, Kenya – Comedian and activist Eric Omondi on Monday escalates his protest against rising fuel prices, storming Nairobi’s central business district with a lorry loaded with empty yellow jerricans, which he offloads onto the street in a dramatic demonstration.
The protest comes days after Omondi stages a roadside action where he drags a chain of empty jerricans near a petrol station to highlight the rising cost of living following recent fuel price increases announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
In the latest demonstration, Omondi arrives in a lorry with its rear section opened before beginning to offload the empty containers onto the ground while addressing supporters and passers-by.
“Eeeh ni hivi, na kama hamtapunguza bei next week Monday ni total shutdown till Sunday. Monday to Sunday,” he says during the demonstration.
“Usiogope, weka hizi chini bro, toa tu,” he adds as he continues dropping the jerricans, which he says symbolise the hardship facing ordinary Kenyans.
He later links the empty containers to the daily struggles of citizens, saying the current economic situation has left many households drained.
“Maisha ya Wakenya ni empty kama hizi vibuyu,” Omondi says.
The crowd that gathers around him joins in chants of “punguza mafuta”, briefly disrupting movement along sections of the CBD as security officers monitor the protest.
Omondi, dressed in a matching kitenge outfit printed with Kenyan flag colours, also moves through parts of the city on a motorbike, continuing to chant against high fuel prices.
The demonstration follows an earlier protest last Friday where he walks along a road pulling multiple empty jerricans tied together, an act he says represents the burden of rising transport and commodity costs.
In that earlier protest, Omondi criticises the high cost of living, saying Kenyans are struggling to afford basic needs.
“Hi guys, Eric Omondi here. Kila kitu ni expensive, nyanya imepanda, school fees imepanda, mafuta imepanda,” he says in the video.
He also criticises leaders for being detached from ordinary citizens facing economic pressure.
“Leaders are living in luxury while the common mwananchi is suffering. Lazima tuseme imetosha,” he says.
On Monday, Omondi posts another photo shortly after the protest showing police have collected some of the empty jerricans he leaves on the roadside.
He questions the move in a social media post.
“Sasa kwa nini wamechukua vibuyu zetu?” he writes.
The activist has in recent years used public demonstrations to draw attention to unemployment, food prices and fuel costs, often staging symbolic performances that attract both support and criticism online.
The latest protest comes amid public concern over rising fuel prices, which have triggered warnings of increased transport fares and higher commodity costs.
