The Mai Mahiu stretch of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway was brought to a standstill on Thursday after a traffic jam stretching several kilometres paralysed movement between Nairobi and Nakuru.
The snarl-up, which began before sunrise, left both private and public vehicles stranded for hours along one of the country’s busiest routes.
The Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association (LoDDCA) described the scale of the problem, stating, "Mai Mahiu traffic is currently stretching from Mutarakwa on the way to the town from Nairobi. Minimal movement from Nairobi and no movement from Naivasha."
What started as overlapping and indiscipline by motorists around 4 a.m. quickly spiralled into a full blockade.
Residents of Nakuru joined the chaos by mounting a protest, accusing government agencies of failing to recover the body of a woman swept away by floods.
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Their demonstration shut down sections of the road, worsening an already dire situation.
Traffic officers deployed to the scene struggled to untangle the mess.
With both lanes of the single carriageway clogged, vehicles inched forward at a crawling pace, while frustrated drivers tried to manoeuvre around the logjam.
Pictures and video clips circulating on social media captured rows of buses, trucks and saloon cars trapped in the gridlock, with no clear end in sight.
The crisis comes only months before planned construction to expand the Rironi–Mau Summit route into a dual carriageway is expected to begin.
Authorities have argued that the four-lane upgrade will not only ease congestion but also strengthen trade and transport links between Kenya and neighbouring countries.
For travellers caught up in Thursday’s jam, however, the government’s promises of a wider highway offered little comfort on a road where overlapping, stalled traffic, and protest blockades had already turned a routine journey into a day-long ordeal.
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