Safari Rally: Alternative Routes for Motorists Stranded Along Nairobi-Nakuru Highway

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has provided alternative roads for motorists stranded along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway due to the ongoing World Rally Championships (WRC) Safari Rally in Naivasha, Nakuru County.

On Saturday motorists were left stranded for over six hours following a traffic snarl-up along the busy highway as Kenyans thronged Naivasha to watch the Safari Rally event.

Sections of the highway had also been closed to allow the competing safari rally drivers to use the section between Naivasha and Sosyambu.

The closure at the Naivasha-Kinangop junction saw the jam stretch for over 20 kilometres on the Nairobi side as the motorists sought alternative routes to Nakuru.

Read: KeNHA Announces Closure of Two Nairobi Roads for Up to a Month

Today, Sunday, June 27, being the fourth and final day of the rally, the situation is likely to be worse.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, KeNHA Director-General P.M Mundinia said due to heavy traffic which the road has been experiencing for some time now, the authority had embarked on building a dual carriageway through the Public-Private Partnership Programme.

In the meantime, KeNHA offered motorists alternative routes to use as follows:

1. Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha (approximately 60 kilometres).  All heavy goods vehicles must use this route which is about 58 kilometres long while all the other vehicles use the Rironi-Naivasha route.
2. Naivasha to Nakuru (approximately 68 kilometres) where all the traffic from the cited routes and any local traffic converge, thus the massive surge in traffic jams along this stretch.

• Route 1 consists of Njabini flyover (near soko mjinga market)- Njabini- Engineer- Olkalou- Ol Joro Orok- Dundori and terminating at Lanet (Nakuru), a route of 190 kilometres.
• Route 2 consists of Naivasha-Engineer-Ol Kalou- Ol Joro Orok- Dundori and ending at Lanet (Nakuru), a distance of 186 kilometres.
• Route 3 consists of Gilgil- Ol Kalou- Ol Joro Orok- Dundori and ending at Lanet (Nakuru), a distance of 103 kilometres.

“KeNHA urges motorists plying this route to use alternative routes between Nairobi and Nakuru whenever convenient to avoid traffic snarl-up in Naivasha as it endeavours to provide an efficient, safe and reliable network,” he said.

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