Chaos as motorists spend night on Nairobi-Nakuru highway after traffic snarl-up in Gilgil
Tens of motorists and passengers were on Friday forced to spend the night near the Gilgil weighbridge section of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
This follows a heavy traffic snarl-up that began in the afternoon on Friday and persisted into Saturday morning, police said.
The police blamed indiscipline for the chaos.
Witnesses said queues of private cars, mini-buses and heavy trucks stretched for kilometres as traffic stalled between Gilgil and Mbaruk area.
Motorists said they were stuck on the roadside overnight.
“Good people, what’s happening on the Nairobi-Nakuru road? Guys have been stuck since 3am,” asked one motorist.
Gilgil Base Commander Hussein said the heavy traffic started on Friday at around 2pm.
He added that the high volume of vehicles plying that stretch as well as indisciplined drivers engaging in overlapping were the main causes of the gridlock.
Bus company Ena Coach, in a statement released on Saturday morning, said the snarl-up was affecting travel as well as parcel delivery services.
“This situation is affecting departures from Nairobi to Upcountry, Upcountry to Nairobi, as well as arrivals from and at Mombasa,” read the statement.
“Consequently, parcel deliveries may also experience delays. We truly regret the inconvenience caused and kindly ask for your patience and understanding as the relevant authorities work to restore normal traffic flow.”
Buses and other PSVs heading to and from Nairobi along the A104 have been stuck on the road, with many major bus companies reporting delays.
“Dear customer, currently we’re experiencing huge traffic at Kinungi along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway; therefore, our travel schedule might be slightly affected,” Guardian said in a statement.
Traffic police urged motorists using the route to find alternative ones.
Motorists heading to Nairobi are being urged to consider using the Nakuru-Narok-Mai Mahiu route as an alternative.
There are plans to dual the road as part of efforts to address the menace.
The chaos were still evident on the road by 10.30 am on Saturday.