Nairobi motorists will have to look for alternative routes on Sunday, October 27, as a number of roads will be closed for the 21st edition of the Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon.
In a statement on Wednesday, organisers of the marathon announced that there will be a disruption of traffic on Sunday, October 27, since thousands of participants are expected to join the race in hopes of winning prizes.
The race will officially kick off at Uhuru Gardens along Langata Road, with road closures set to take effect from October 26 at 11:59 pm to 1:30 pm on Sunday, October 27.
Organisers of the event on Wednesday issued a detailed mapping, divulging on the roads which will be affected by the running event as well as alternative routes.
With the Southern Bypass set to be the most affected by the marathon, at least six other arteries will experience temporary partial closure which includes parts of Ngong Road, Mombasa Road, Likoni Road, Lenana Road, and Waiyaki Way.
The 15-kilometer stretch from Karen Shopping Centre to Kikuyu Town via the Southern bypass will be inaccessible for the duration with motorists urged to use Dagoretti Road as an alternative.
Vehicles trying to get from Mombasa Road to Karen Shopping Centre via the Southern bypass will also have to use Lang'ata Road.
The Southern bypass stretch connecting people from Galleria Mall to Kikuyu will also be closed for the marathon, with motorists urged to use Dagoretti via Lang'ata Road.
Further, accessing Mombasa Road from Galleria Mall via the Southern bypass will be impossible for most of Sunday morning. Vehicles have been instructed to use Uhuru Highway through Lang'ata Road instead.
Kenyans trying to get into the Ole Sereni Hotel will have to access the facility via NextGen Mall instead of the usual Southern bypass.
Finally, vehicles connecting from Likoni Road to Mombasa Road via the Southern bypass will have to use Enterprise Road instead.
Peter Gitau, the chairman of the local organizing committee, assured participants on Wednesday that the race would take place seamlessly without any disruptions.
"The start and finish times have been meticulously planned for a well-organised race. Our race technical director, supported by dedicated route marshals and strategically placed CCTV cameras, will oversee the entire course, ensuring a world-class marathon experience," he said.
Various cash prizes are up for grabs, with the winner of the 42-kilometre race set to pocket KSh 2 million in both the men and women's categories. A pool of KSh 12.9 million has been set aside for the winners, with the lowest cash prize of KSh 20,000 set to go to the 10th place finisher.
In the other categories like the half marathon and 10 KM race, only the top 3 will be feted with cash prizes.
This year's edition of the marathon promises to be a memorable one, particularly because the event recently received a huge financial boost of Ksh173 million from sponsors. Besides money, the sponsorship package also came in the form of in-kind contributions aimed at enhancing the race experience.
After the conclusion of registration on October 10, 25,000 runners registered for the event, surpassing the initial goal of 20,000 participants. Notably, 5km, 10km, and 21km races attracted the most interest from racers.
