Motorists and passengers were on Thursday, April 17, left stranded along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway for several hours following a huge traffic snarl-up.
Reports indicate that the gridlock was caused by an upsurge in the number of Kenyans travelling upcountry for the four-day Easter celebrations, which begin tomorrow.
According to reports, the congestion was also a result of overlapping by some drivers who were in a hurry to ferry passengers and goods to various destinations.
The overlapping brought about the blockage of the entire single carriageway and restricted movement in both directions. However, despite help from the traffic marshals, the congestion escalated.
As of 3pm today, motorists had spent several hours attempting to navigate through the highway, particularly just after the Limuru overpass, with some forced to forfeit their trips.
In the footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, a fleet of vehicles, both privately owned and public service vehicles (PSVs) lining up along the highway. The situation worsened gradually as some passengers began alighting from the vehicles.
The traffic congestion along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway has become a persistent problem for years, frustrating both motorists and passengers alike. Despite calls for a rehabilitation of the road, successive administrations have failed to come up with meaningful solutions.
In December last year, President William Ruto announced the dualling of the highway, noting that the rehabilitation of the road into a dual carriageway would begin this year.
Speaking at a church service in Uasin Gishu County on December 22, 2024, the Head of State noted that the dualling of the road would be done by a private contractor under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
According to Ruto, the road would be dualled in two phases: the first phase would involve the construction of the highway from Nairobi to Nakuru, while the second phase would extend from Nakuru to Malaba.
However, despite the promise, the government of Kenya recently cancelled the Ksh190 billion contract with a French company that had been contracted to construct the highway.
Reuters reported that President Ruto's administration ditched the French company that had been hired to construct the 140-kilometre road for a Chinese firm.
