Several motorists and passengers were forced to spend the night on the road on Friday evening due to heavy traffic congestion along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
Reports indicated that the gridlock, which stretched several kilometres, was a result of roadworks being conducted along the section of the highway.
Others claimed that the sudden traffic was caused by lane indiscipline by some drivers who opted to overtake to hurriedly ferry more passengers travelling for the festivities.
The gridlock caused a shutdown of the busy highway in both lanes, with Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) and personal vehicles stuck on the road for more than seven hours.
Drivers and passengers who failed to secure shelter for the night were forced to sleep inside their vehicles, as efforts by the police to clear the congestion proved futile.
The worst-affected section was reported to be along the Mai Mahiu stretch in Naivasha and the Salgaa–Mau Summit section, where traffic was heavily congested due to overlapping vehicles and slow clearance efforts.
Footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed several vehicles, mainly buses and trailers, lined up along the highway, with vehicles seen moving at a slower pace.
Motorist Association Demands KeNHA's Intervention
In a statement, the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) on Saturday morning accused the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) of its reluctance to address the traffic menace at the Mai Mahiu and the Salgaa-Mau Summit section.
According to the motorists, KeNHA was deliberately creating artificial traffic congestion along the Salgaa–Mau Summit corridor during the festive season due to the ongoing maintenance works.
"Scheduling and timing road works when thousands of Kenyans are travelling for the holidays is callous, insensitive, and directly contradicts KeNHA’s stated mandate of providing seamless connectivity," the motorists lamented.
They maintained that the congestion witnessed at Mai Mahiu, Gilgil, Salgaa, and Kikopey was intentional, claiming that it was artificially engineered to falsely prove congestion and justify the push for tolling public highways.
"MAK rejects this bad administration and demands accountability, transparency, and people-centred planning that prioritises safety, mobility, and the dignity of motorists," the motorists stated.
