A heavy traffic snarl-up was witnessed on Monday morning at Mlango 1 along the Nakuru–Eldoret highway following a road accident that brought movement to a standstill.
The incident caused a major inconvenience for long-distance drivers who rely on the highway to connect to the neighbouring nation of Uganda.
Truck drivers were forced to queue for hours, hoping that traffic and law enforcement agencies would move in quickly to clear the road and allow them to resume their journeys.
Motorists were stranded as police and first responders worked to clear the scene and restore the normal flow of traffic.
Images of the snarl-up seen by Kenyans.co.ke depicted motorists heading towards Eldoret ground to a standstill as the traffic was stationary.
The highway is notorious for major road traffic incidents. On May 1, a trailer overturned along the same route, paralysing traffic and highlighting gaps in Kenya’s road safety and emergency response systems.
In response, the government has announced plans to expand the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and extend the project to the highway all the way to the Malaba border in a bid to ease the persistent snarl-ups frequently witnessed on this critical transport corridor.
The dualing of the highway is critical, as it will not only ease the traffic congestion occasionally witnessed along the route but also enhance regional connectivity among the counties in the Rift Valley, Western Kenya, and Nyanza regions, according to the government.
However, the government's plan to use the Public-Private Proposal (PPP) and toll part of the road has raised significant backlash from motorists and stakeholders.
Upon completion, Kenyans would be required to pay to use the highway, with the rates to be determined in line with the National Tolling Policy. According to the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), the escalation of toll rates would be done as per the policy.
Meanwhile, the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway, also known as the Rironi-Mau Summit Road, is a critical segment of the Northern Corridor, connecting Nairobi to western regions and neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The project aims to upgrade the existing 175-kilometer A8 highway from Rironi to Mau Summit into a four-lane dual carriageway.
