A day after Uber announced an increase of 20% in fare prices in Nairobi and Mombasa, amid continuous pressure from Kenya partner drivers, the taxi hailing company says it will remain ahead of the competition.

In July last year, Uber slashed its prices by 35% in Kenya soon after the introduction of LittleCab, a taxi hailing company established through an alliance by Safaricom and Craft Silicon.

A price war ensued with LittleCab dropping its rates by 45% months later. However, drivers complained because the companies did not match the drop with their expected cut in revenue from each ride.

"The competition that Uber has introduced has also encouraged innovation by existing platforms," said Samantha Allenberg, Uber's communication officer for Africa.

"We believe driver-partners will earn more as a result of these changes and that riders will continue to enjoy access to a safe, affordable and reliable service," she added.

Uber drivers have complained that the reduction in price doesn't offer them much revenue. Social media reflected instances where Uber drivers have diverged from proposed routes in order to make more money.

The situation culminated with a strike last week from major Uber drivers demanding that the company increase the base fare.

Uber has continued to make headlines, particularly after the company's co-founder Travis Kalanick was caught on a dash cam arguing with an Uber driver over the slashing of fares.

Allenberg says that the company has an open door policy as far as listening to grievances of its partners is concerned.

"We respect driver-partners as valuable partners with a voice and a choice and we want driver-partners to feel they can talk to us about anything at any time. Driver-partners have a number of ways they can speak to us about their individual concerns."

"We are always talking with partners and taking their feedback on board. Uber succeeds when our partners succeed and our teams are working hard every day to ensure drivers using our app continue to thrive," she reiterated.