Written By Lisa Murimi
Motorists traveling to and from Nairobi faced a nightmarish ordeal on Friday night, trapped on the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway for over 12 hours.
The traffic chaos began near Limuru around 5 PM, continuing through the night and forcing many to spend the night at Kimende.
Hundreds of travelers were stranded, lighting bonfires to keep warm as temperatures dropped.
Scenes of the night, captured and shared widely on social media, highlighted the extent of the disruption.
The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) has remained silent, offering no updates or explanations for the prolonged traffic snarl-up.
Desperate travelers took to social media to share their frustration. One commuter posted on X, “From 2 AM till now, still at Kimende.”
Another lamented, “We’ll definitely not move today.” A third added, “The situation at Kimende is wanting. Everybody is stuck in the jam, including school children. Please let the relevant authority do something.”
One helpful yet exasperated message read, “Kimende was and is still not moving!! Take a detour.”
The chaos was sparked by protests from Lari residents on Friday.
What began as a mid-morning demonstration escalated, with protestors blocking the highway and causing a massive traffic backlog.
This incident follows another severe traffic jam in April in the same area, which also left motorists stranded for hours.
As dawn broke on Saturday, there was still no sign of relief. The highway, a vital artery connecting Nairobi to other parts of the country, remained clogged.
The blockage has had a ripple effect, impacting not just travelers but also businesses relying on timely deliveries and commuters needing to reach their destinations urgently.
The Treasury reports that an average of 16,000 vehicles traverse the Nairobi-Mau Summit section of the corridor each day, with traffic volumes in Nakuru peaking at up to 40,000 vehicles daily.
