Tips on how to beat gridlocks for households travelling upcountry
Traffic jam at Sachangwan on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway on August 5, 2024.
It is yet another season of travel. Christmas is around the corner and as is tradition, hundreds of thousands of Kenyans are moving from cities to their rural homes for the festivities with families, relatives and friends.
Unfortunately, it is also a season of chaos, especially on roads. If it is not about crowded bus terminals, it is roads jammed with private and public service vehicles with families desperate to make it home before Christmas.
Because of desperation, people are willing to do anything to achieve their objectives. Drivers will speed, overlap and overload while bus companies will overbook.
Getting stuck in traffic gridlocks and many hours on the road are common.
The notorious spots include Ahero Bridge on the Kisumu-Kericho road, Limuru and the Mai Mahiu escarpment on the Nairobi-Naivasha stretch.
That has been the case from Thursday, December 19, with drivers and passengers spending unusually long hours on the Nakuru-Nairobi road.
Many have taken to social media to express their frustrations, demanding to be informed why the problem recurs every December.
Mr Chrispin Omondi, an NGO official in Nairobi, says he has spent hours in a gridlock before.
Mr Omondi was taking his family to Kisumu from Nairobi when he was caught up in a gridlock in Ahero, about 20 kilometres from the lakeside city.
“We arrived in Ahero around 3pm. I thought the jam would clear in minutes but sensed danger after not moving an inch for half an hour,” Mr Omondi says.
“Unfortunately, it was too late to look for an alternative route as a long queue of vehicles had formed behind us.”
The situation, Omondi adds, is usually made worse by impatient bus and matatu drivers who create many lanes on both sides of the road in their bid to beat the jam.
“We left Ahero the following day at 5am. That was after my nephew and other motorists took the duty of controlling traffic from the tired police officers,” Omondi says.
Mr Omondi plans to start the journey much earlier, at 3am, this year.
“I hope that by the time other families are waking up to start their journey home, I would have passed the jam hotspots,” he says.
Mr Alex Onyango and his friends were heading to Migori County for a traditional marriage celebration towards Christmas Day in 2023.
Little did they know that their journey would be cut short after just 17 kilometres.
A journey that ordinarily takes three hours ended up consuming the whole day, with the group stuck in Ahero.
“The traffic police officers at the scene tried all they could to bring normality on the road to no avail. We had no option but to wait,” Mr Onyango says.
“We made it to our destination the following day and had a really rough time explaining to the family of the girl why we did not arrive on time. They only forgave us after watching the gridlock on TV.”
Impatient and angry motorists do all they can to squeeze through any available space, only aggravating the situation.
The National Police Service (NPS) has already issued warnings to motorists who flout traffic rules and contribute to the jams.
NPS Spokesperson, Resila Onyango, says reinforcement teams – including general duty officers from all police stations on the Nairobi-Nakuru road – have been dispatched to the hotspots.
The teams include an NPS Airwing helicopter to assist the officers on the ground control and direct traffic.
“The NPS appeals to motorists to adhere to traffic rules and regulations. Motorists should observe speed limits, drive roadworthy vehicles and avoid overlapping,” Dr Onyango said on Friday.
Ms Betty Okinyi, who has once been caught up in the Ahero jam, says she would rather use an alternative route to Kisumu than spend an eternity in the car waiting for the jam to clear.
“The Ahero ordeal taught me a lesson. I now make stopovers in places like Nakuru and Muhoroni while keeping tabs on the flow of traffic,” Ms Okinyi says.
“Should things get out of hand, I use the Muhoroni-Miwani-Mamboleo road to connect to Kisumu. Unfortunately, Miwani Road is dilapidated but one never has a choice in such cases,” Ms Okinyi says.
The other alternative – though longer – is the Awasi-Chemelil-Nandi Hills-Serem-Kisumu road.
Fortunately, Nairobians travelling to Kisumu during and after the festivities can also use the Safari train, a service of Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).
The Kisumu-Nairobi train service resumed after several months, having been suspended due to the bad state of the railway caused by floods.
The train leaves the capital city at 6:30 pm and arrives in Kisumu 12 hours later.
Just days ago, KRC announced that there would be additional trips, with the train leaving Nairobi on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Return trips from Kisumu are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The additional trains will run until January 15.
Kisumu County Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary, Israel Agina, says had the 63-kilometre Mamboleo-Miwani-Muhoroni road been completed, it would ease traffic on the Ahero-Kisumu road.
“The Sh3.5 billion road project is taking longer than expected. The road would come in handy for people travelling to Vihiga and Kakamega through Mamboleo,” Mr Agina says.
He adds that if another bridge were to be built on River Nyando, the perennial gridlocks would be a thing of the past.
“Should the bridge in Ahero be blocked, it would be near impossible to access or leave Kisumu city via Nairobi road,” Mr Agina says.
In an interview with the Sunday Nation, Nyanza Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer, Peter Maina said there have been traffic jams and gridlocks in Ahero lately, “a situation that must be addressed urgently”.
“When I was transferred to Kisumu County, I came to learn of traffic jams in Ahero every weekend,” Mr Maina said.
“My officers and I have attempted to manage the situation. Our investigations show that the snarl-ups are mainly caused by impatient motorists. We have sent officers to Ahero to control the movement of vehicles during the festive season.”
The traffic boss, however, added that the problem can be tackled effectively through a multi-sectoral approach.
“As we get to Christmas and the New Year, we will need the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Roads Authority, traffic police and every other relevant government agency to come together and address any hitches on our highways,” Mr Maina said.
Mr Tonny Gitonga, a resident of Naivasha, says motorists usually start experiencing chaotic traffic jams in Kijabe, Mai Mahiu, Kayole (Naivasha), Weigh Bridge in Gilgil and Kikopey.
Apart from overlapping and other reckless behaviour, jams and gridlocks are caused by accidents.
“Overlapping is the biggest problem, particularly by matatu drivers. Some impatient drivers overtake recklessly, leading to accidents,” Mr Gitonga says.
Limuru-Mai Mahiu escapement is a narrow road, meaning even a small accident can lead to a jam or gridlock that lasts hours.
Should there be an interruption in the flow of traffic around Kijabe, motorists have the option of taking the Flyover-Njabini-Engineer-Ol Kalou-Nyahururu-Subukia-Nakuru road, before proceeding to Western Kenya.
“If there is a problem in Mai Mahiu, you can take the Ngong-Suswa route, which will lead you to Narok,” Mr Gitonga says.
All the alternative routes tend to be longer than what motorists are used to.
Following the snarl-up on the Rironi-Naivasha-Nakuru road, KeNHA gave an advisory on options.
KeNHA Director-General, Kungu Ndungu, said the alternatives are Naivasha-Njabini-Ol Kalou-Dundori-Lanet-Nakuru road; Flyover-Njabini-Ol Kalou-Dundori-Lanet-Nakuru road and the Ngong-Suswa-Narok- Mau Narok-Nakuru highway.
The Weighbridge in Gilgil is another gridlock hotspot, usually due to heavy trucks queuing to access the machine.
The jams can at times be as long as 10 kilometres on either side of the Weighbridge station, lasting many hours and inconveniencing travellers.
Experts advise those taking long journeys to consider some things for the situation not to degenerate from bad to worse.
First, ensure your vehicle has enough fuel before starting the journey or fill the tank immediately after the drive begins.
Second, make sure you have cash – liquid or mobile – just in case you may want to refuel and the internet is down or the mobile phone battery is low.
Lastly, have enough snacks and water just in case you take long hours on the road.
Meanwhile, flights to Kisumu from Nairobi are fully booked.
Airlines operating between Nairobi and Kisumu, including Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Renegade Air, Safarilink and Air Kenya Express, have recorded full bookings.
Renegade Air Sales Manager Patrick Oketch told the Sunday Nation that the company has introduced additional midday flights to keep up with the high demand.
“We are introducing jet services at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for the Kisumu route by Monday,” Mr Oketch said.
Kenya Airport Authority Western Regional Airport Manager, Paul Wafula, said the high number of passengers would likely be experienced until early January.
“It is difficult to get seats to Kisumu if you haven’t booked yet. It will even be more difficult as Christmas Day approaches,” Mr Wafula added.
He said there is also a significant increase in the number of passengers from Mombasa to Kisumu.
“We are still likely to experience huge traffic in the first two weeks of January, considering that people will be getting back to work and students will be returning to school for the new academic year,” the KAA Regional Manager said.
Additional reporting by Rushdie Oudia
