Motorists, passengers and pedestrians were affected after major traffic disruptions were witnessed due to the Nairobi Mater Heart Run.
The run, happening on Saturday, May 31, was expected to cause major traffic disruptions in some of Nairobi’s major roads both within and beyond the Central Business District.
According to the run’s map, the exercise was set to begin at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) at 7:00 am and was to pass through some major roads such as Uhuru Highway and Haile Selassie Avenue.
After commencing at KICC, participants were to go through City Hall Way, before proceeding to Uhuru Highway, which is set adjacent to Uhuru Park.
Participants would then take a right turn towards Haile Selassie Avenue at the first roundabout and proceed towards the Social Health Authority Building. This would then lead them to Ragati Road along Britam Tower before heading towards Hospital Road.
The participants of the run would then connect to Elgon Road, passing through Radisson Blu Hotel and then head towards Upper Hill Road.
From Upper Hill, the participants would head towards Bunyala Road in a fairly winding route before arriving at the roads leading to Uhuru Highway, Nyayo Stadium and Highway Mall.
From there, they would take the Uhuru Highway route before proceeding straight on and later branching right towards the other side of Haile Selassie Avenue. This road would lead them back to KICC where they would conclude the run.
Despite not giving alternative routes, Mater Heart Run officials acknowledged the traffic disruption, urging road users to seek other ways of recourse.
“Mater Heart Run 2025 will take place on 31st May 2025, starting from the K.I.C.C. at 7:00 AM, with partial traffic interruptions expected along key Nairobi roads,” they stated.
The Mater Heart Run was started in 2002 as one of the main fundraising avenues for the Cardiac program at the Mater Hospital.
Initially held only in Nairobi, the Heart Run has grown over the years and is now held in ten different towns namely; Nairobi, Mombasa, Machakos, Kakamega, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Kericho & Bomet.
It typically features a ten-kilometre run/walk and is open to children, adults and the elderly.
