Motorists Stranded Along Nairobi-Nakuru Highway Ahead Of Easter

Motorists along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway were on Thursday, April 17, stuck in a massive traffic jam, with some reporting being at a complete standstill for several hours.

According to reports, the gridlock has been blamed on a surge in drivers transporting passengers and goods ahead of the Easter holiday beginning tomorrow.

Further, the traffic jam was worsened by drivers attempting to overtake as they rushed to transport passengers and goods to different destinations.

This reckless manoeuvring ended up blocking the entire single carriageway, disrupting movement in both directions. Despite efforts by traffic marshals to manage the situation, the congestion only intensified.

Traffic snarl-up along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway as of April 17, 2025. /VIRAL TEA KE

With the traffic showing little improvement, some commuters have voiced concerns that they may end up spending the night on the road.

By 3 p.m. today, drivers had already spent hours trying to make their way through the highway, especially around the stretch just past the Limuru overpass, with some eventually abandoning their journeys altogether.

According to photos and videos seen by Viral Tea, both private cars and public service vehicles were seen lined up bumper to bumper along the highway, and as the situation continued to deteriorate, some frustrated passengers began disembarking from their vehicles.

The Nairobi-Nakuru Highway has been notorious for prolonged traffic jams, especially near areas like Kimende and Rironi, with some drivers stranded for hours or even overnight. Calls have been made to rehabilitate the road to handle traffic during peak events, but successive administrations have fallen short of coming up with tangible solutions.

On December 22, 2024, President William Ruto announced the dualing of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, whose construction will be overseen by the government. This is in response to numerous complaints by Kenyans regarding the traffic congestion along the major road.

Ruto, who spoke during a church service at the AIC Kipkorgot in Uasin Gishu County, announced that the construction of the dual carriageway would begin this year, further revealing that a private contractor would conduct the highway dualling under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme and would build it in two phases.

The first phase would involve the construction of the highway from Nairobi to Nakuru. In contrast, the second phase will extend from Nakuru to Malaba, improving travel and trade along the corridor.

“We had a PPP programme with a French company, but it did not work out. However, we have alternatives that we are working on as a government,” the president assured at the time, adding, “The commitment I want to give you is that next year, we will begin the construction of the dual carriageway from Nairobi to Nakuru first, and then from Nakuru to Malaba."

Despite earlier assurances, the Kenyan government recently terminated the Ksh190 billion contract with a French firm that had been commissioned to build the highway.

According to Reuters, President Ruto’s administration opted to replace the French contractor with a Chinese company to undertake the 140-kilometre road project.