It was a traffic nightmare for motorists and passengers using the Nairobi-Mombasa road on Sunday and better part of yesterday when they were caught up in a snarl up between the Machakos junction and Salama town that lasted more than 24 hours.
The traffic jam was partially caused by the closure of a section of the road for repairs.
Although normal traffic flow resumed yesterday afternoon after police towed away trucks that had broken down in the affected section, there were signs that motorists are likely to continue suffering.
“There was an incident at Konza Technopolis. A truck 40 feet had fallen across the road at around 10am. The vehicle has been removed. The motorists have overlapped on both Mombasa bound and Nairobi bound sides. The police are working on it to restore traffic flow,” an internal police signal read.
The ongoing rainfall compromised a diversion created by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to allow for the repair of the closed section of the road. This is where trucks had stalled.
KeNHA Deputy Director in Charge of Corporate Communications Samwel Kumba said the snarl-up was caused by a 40ft truck which fell across the road. “Impatient motorists overlapped in both Mombasa and Nairobi bound carriage ways,” Mr Kumba said.
The police asked motorists using the busy road to brace for inconveniences as the repairs continue. “In the meantime, we are urging motorists to observe lane discipline and avoid overlapping. This is what is aggravating the traffic jam. We are on high alert to manage traffic,” Mukaa Sub-County Police Commander Barnabas Ng’eno told the Nation.
According to the police, the heavy traffic jam, which started on Saturday and peaked on Sunday, was attributed to a bottleneck at the section of the busy road near the Konza turn-off.
“The problem is caused by the diversion near Konza which is slowing down traffic flow,” Mr Ng’eno said.
Motorists caught up in the weekend jam narrated how it took them up to six hours to navigate a section that ordinarily takes less than 10 minutes.
“KeNHA should have scheduled the repairs to start after the rainy season to avoid the inconveniences,” said Samuel Mativo, a truck driver who was heading to Mombasa on Sunday. “How sure are we that the quality of the section under repair will not be compromised because of the rains?”
Tens of hawkers and food vendors flocked the affected stretch and cashed in on the traffic jam for two days as they came sold foodstuffs to the stranded motorists.
At the height of the traffic jam on Sunday, Mr Ng’eno urged motorists to avoid the affected section. He directed them to use the Machakos-Wote-Makindu by-pass instead. This saw public service vehicles that ply the route double fares.
