The man whose “with all due respect” remarks became one of the most talked-about moments during the nationwide transport sector strike was notably absent on Friday morning as President William Ruto met transport operators.
Kennedy Kaunda, who is the CEO of the East Africa Tour Guides and Drivers Association (EATGDA), was nowhere to be seen during the high-level engagement attended by several transport sector representatives.
Photos released from the State House meeting showed President Ruto posing for a group photo and later addressing the press alongside all transport operators’ representatives.
The meeting was held on Thursday, May 21 and Friday, May 22, 2026, at the State House in Mombasa, following days of protests by transport operators triggered by increased fuel prices.
Kaunda had emerged as an unexpected figure earlier in the week after publicly contradicting Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi’s remarks during a tense press briefing on Tuesday, May 19.
His strong rejection of Wandayi’s claims that progress had been made on the strike resonated with frustrated Kenyans who are struggling with increased fuel costs.
The viral moment unfolded after a closed-door meeting which brought together senior government officials and transport sector stakeholders to find a solution to protests over fuel prices.
In the joint press briefing after nearly five hours of discussions, Wandayi suggested that the talks had yielded progress, particularly on concerns surrounding diesel prices.
However, before the briefing could conclude, transport sector representatives led by Kaunda interrupted the government’s statement, insisting that no agreement had been reached.
“With all due respect, we respect everyone here; we did not come to set anybody up. We are law-abiding citizens. So there’s no deal. The strike is still on,” he declared.
His absence from Friday’s State House meeting quickly sparked online speculation, with some Kenyans questioning whether he had been deliberately excluded from the discussions or whether he chose not to attend.
Neither the State House nor the transport sector officials immediately addressed why Kaunda was missing from the meeting despite his prominent role during the earlier negotiations.