Traffic is set to be disrupted along several key roads in Nairobi ahead of the Harambee Stars’ opening game in the 2024 African Nations Championships on Sunday, August 3.
An alert was issued by Nairobi traffic police boss Joseph Chirchir ahead of the opener, which will see Harambee Stars face the Democratic Republic of Congo at the newly-renovated Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) in Kasarani. The alert informed Kenyans to anticipate traffic disruptions on several key roads throughout the tournament.
Among the roads that will be closed to traffic from 3 August is Aerodrome Road, stretching from Madaraka Roundabout to Bunyala Roundabout.
Lang'ata Road is also set to be affected, with alerts indicating that the busy road will experience a partial closure between Madaraka and Lusaka roundabouts.
Similar restrictions will also be in place on part of Mombasa Road, with one side of the road closed from the Lusaka Roundabout to the Bunyala Roundabout due to the games taking place at Nyayo Stadium.
Diversions
To mitigate traffic congestion and help motorists navigate the closure, the Nairobi County Traffic Police have announced a series of diversions. Those travelling from Mombasa Road towards the Nairobi CBD are advised to use the Likoni-Enterprise Road at General Motors, where they can access the Southern Bypass at Ole Sereni.
Those travelling to the Nairobi CBD along Lang'ata Road have been advised to use Raila Odinga Road or Muhoho Road at the Mbagathi Roundabout.
Meanwhile, motorists travelling from the Nairobi CBD to areas such as Juja and Thika have been encouraged to use Limuru Road or Kiambu Road to avoid congestion on the main routes. Matatus ferrying passengers to Kasarani have also been advised to use Ruaraka Baba Dodo Road and Ngomongo Road, which lead to the Ngomongo roundabout.
The Ruaraka diversion is specifically meant to ease pressure on the routes leading to the tournament venues.
In addition, motorists coming from Thika Road towards the city centre are urged to consider either the Eastern Bypass, Kiambu Road or Limuru Road.
Besides Harambee Stars' group games, Kenya's two main stadiums - MISC and Nyayo - for the 2024 CHAN will also host several high-profile group matches between August 3 and August 18.
Nyayo Stadium will be the venue for key matches such as Morocco vs Angola (August 3), DRC vs Zambia (August 7), Zambia vs Angola (August 10), Morocco vs Zambia (August 14), DRC vs Morocco (August 17), and Algeria vs Niger (August 18).
The Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani will host Angola vs DRC encounter on August 15.
