The festive season has brought unprecedented traffic gridlock to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, leaving thousands of motorists stranded for hours and prompting urgent advisories from government agencies.
The severe congestion, attributed to a rise in holiday travel and poor road discipline, has turned what should be a joyous journey into a frustrating ordeal for many Kenyans heading to their ancestral homes for Christmas.
KeNHA attributed the snarl-ups to a significant increase in traffic volumes, compounded by widespread lane indiscipline and overlapping. “The congestion is largely due to lane indiscipline and overlapping,” the authority said, urging motorists to exercise patience and strictly adhere to traffic regulations.
As a result, journeys that typically take a few hours have stretched to between five and seven hours, according to frustrated commuters.
Compounding the issue are ongoing road construction activities along the Salgaa-Mau Summit route and in Mai Mahiu, which have constricted significant segments of the road. A sinkhole near the Ever Ready roundabout in Nakuru further exacerbated the situation, leading to the closure of a carriageway.
In response, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration and KeNHA have advised motorists to utilize alternative routes. Travelers bound for Western and Nyanza regions are encouraged to use the Nairobi-Suswa-Narok route, while those heading to Nakuru and Central Kenya can opt for the Nairobi–Nyeri–Nyahururu–Nakuru circuit.
To manage the crisis and enhance safety, enforcement efforts have been significantly scaled up. Traffic police, National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers, and mobile courts have been deployed to address violations like overlapping and drunk driving.
The Ministry of Defence is providing aerial surveillance to identify congestion hotspots, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has deployed officers to deter bribery on highways.
President William Ruto also recently launched the dualling project of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, promising that critical sections would be clear by December next year, with full completion by June 2027, to alleviate future congestion.
