Motorists heading out of Nairobi towards Nakuru, Eldoret, Western Kenya, and the Nyanza regions on Sunday, December 21, were caught for long hours in crawling traffic as severe congestion brought sections of the Nairobi–Nakuru highway to a near standstill.
The most affected points were between Limuru, Kimende, and Naivasha.
Videos posted by people on social media sites were indicative of a long traffic jam that stretches for kilometers.
The root causes were attributed to the congestion, which was reported to be a result of the festive season rush, as many private cars, buses, and transport trucks were on the road.
This was also worsened by the problem of lane discipline, where vehicles overlapped to try to outsmart the traffic jam by going into the other lane, thus paralysing the flow of traffic.
A sinkhole that developed close to Ever Ready roundabout, Nakuru, resulted in the Nakuru-bound carriageway of the road being closed due to Traffic flow Restrictions within that area.
Moreover, road construction activities carried out at the Salgaa-Mau Summit route and in Mai Mahiu constricted significant segments of the road.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had ordered drivers to follow their designated lanes, avoid merging, and follow traffic regulations. KeNHA had stated that drivers who engaged in careless driving only ended up causing more delays.
In a bid to address this problem, KeNHA also had instructed vehicle operators to use alternative routes.
For passengers destined for Nakuru, there was a directive to use the route through Naivasha-Njabini-Olkalou-Ol Joro Orok-Lanet, whereas others going to the Western and Nyanza regions could use the route through Nairobi-Suswa-Narok.
Vehicles destined for Central Kenya were to take the diversion route of Nairobi-Nyeri-Nyahururu.
There have also been increases in enforcement, where traffic police officers, NTSA officers, and mobile courts have been deployed to address issues related to traffic, such as overlap driving and driving under the influence.
KeNHA urged motorists to check its official means of communication for updates while exercising patience to resume regular traffic flow.
