Piles of broken concrete blocks and paving stones lie at a roadworks site along Kimathi Street in Nairobi's Central Business District on July 18, 2026, as contractors continue upgrading pedestrian walkways and public spaces under the Nairobi city centre regeneration programme.
For many Nairobi residents who work in the Central Business District, the ongoing road and pavement construction has turned work into a daily challenge, with dust, congestion, noise and blocked walkways disrupting businesses.
While many acknowledge that the facelift will improve the city's appearance once complete, workers, traders and transport operators say the construction has made it harder to earn a living and move around safely.
Solomon Kimeu, a boda boda operator in the CBD, says the works have displaced riders from their designated stages after construction covered the markings that showed where they were supposed to park.
"The roads needed to be repaired and we support that, but we've been pushed onto the main road because our stages are no longer accessible," he says. "Customers are also afraid because they have to board close to moving traffic and there is always the risk of someone tripping over the loose stones."
Stacks of paving blocks and broken concrete line a section of Kimathi Street in Nairobi's Central Business District on July 18, 2026, as contractors continue reconstructing pedestrian walkways under the ongoing Nairobi city centre regeneration programme.
Kimeu says the county government should have carried out the works in phases instead of digging up several streets at the same time.
Anthony Maina, who runs an online business and makes deliveries within the CBD, says navigating town has become increasingly difficult because pedestrians are forced off pavements and onto busy roads.
"The debris and uncovered sections have created confusion. I have even witnessed people being hit by vehicles because the walkways have become too narrow."
He says although some construction is done at night, work often extends into the morning when thousands of commuters are making their way into town.
The effects are also being felt by traders.
Tiffany Cate Wangari, who operates a business at Imenti House, says dust from the construction has become one of her biggest challenges.
Stacks of paving blocks and broken concrete line a section of Kimathi Street in Nairobi's Central Business District on July 18, 2026, as contractors continue reconstructing pedestrian walkways under the ongoing Nairobi city centre regeneration programme.
"It settles on our products throughout the day and we have to keep cleaning almost every hour," she says. "Some customers avoid entering because of the dust, while others struggle to get into the building because of the construction materials dumped at the entrances."
She says businesses near construction sites have experienced reduced customer traffic, hurting sales.
At Kencom Bus Station, hawker Bonface Mwangi says the construction itself has not discouraged him, but the relocation of bus stages has affected his business.
"I depend on passengers waiting for buses to buy my products," he says. "When the buses move to another location because of construction, the customers move too."
Piles of broken concrete blocks and paving stones lie at a roadworks site along Kimathi Street in Nairobi's Central Business District on July 18, 2026, as contractors continue upgrading pedestrian walkways and public spaces under the Nairobi city centre regeneration programme.
Felista Wanjiru Chege, an interior designer whose office is along Moi Avenue, says the dust has affected productivity as workers clean offices repeatedly during the day. The constant dust is also a health hazard and she is worried about how much longer this will go on.
"I have even been wearing a mask because the dust is too much. It has also become easier for thieves to take advantage of the crowds because people are squeezed together on the few available pathways," she says.
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