Motorists plying the Thika Road route were inconvenienced on Sunday, April 6, after a considerable section of the road was closed for road works.
For a better part of Sunday morning, Thika Super Highway remained closed around the Ruiru area, with hundreds of motorists being re-directed to the exit leading to Membley Estate.
This effectively led to a major traffic snarl-up, with motorists heading to Thika Town battling for the same route as those trying to connect with the Eastern Bypass.
Kenyans.co.ke has since established that the disruption was caused by ongoing construction and re-carpeting works around Kihunguro. The closure took place to facilitate the removal of speed bumps around the Kihunguro area.
According to area residents, the speed bumps have been a nuisance around the Ruiru area since they encourage reckless crossing by pedestrians while causing considerable traffic snarl-ups, particularly during rush hour.
While the removal of the bumps was a welcome sight, motorists were concerned about the timing of the move since there was no prior communication from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), as is usually the case when there is scheduled road maintenance.
Notably, the new development came just a day after concerns were raised over a major traffic snarl-up on the evening of Saturday, April 5, around the same area on the highway, which is a major transport artery.
The last time KeNHA formally communicated about a Thika Road closure was in February 2025, when the authority announced the temporary shutdown of the highway at Juja Highpoint, commonly referred to as Centurion.
While the removal of bumps typically lessens traffic and ensures a smooth flow of vehicles, it can also lead to increased flouting of traffic rules, particularly through overspeeding.
Thika Road is particularly infamous for cases of accidents from reckless driving and speeding, with one of the most recent cases involving a Super Metro PSV.
On Saturday, March 29, an accident along Jomoko, on the road leading to Thika town, saw a bus get involved in an accident with a personal car.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the driver of the ill-fated bus was overspeeding and overlapping while driving carelessly.
