This archive report was first published on 27 August 2021.
Long Hours on Mombasa Road Cause Frustration ¶
Motorists and commuters in Nairobi are facing unbearable traffic congestion on Mombasa Road, with many spending hours on the road or even spending the night there.
According to a Nation photojournalist, Jeff Angote, who uses Mombasa Road daily, the traffic mess has become unbearable. He said, "I live in Katani and I use Mombasa Road every day and this traffic mess has become unbearable. Almost every other night we are forced to spend hours on the road as we cannot walk to our homes in the dead of night."
Dr. Mary Mugo, another motorist, blamed the China Road and Bridge Corporation for digging trenches along the road, forcing motorists into a single lane instead of three. She said, "How is Mombasa Road people got home at 2.04 am why would the contractor dig trenches right, left, and center? Why would they not do one side at a time? These Chinese seem not to care about us."
Motorists are now calling for the contractor to create alternative roads for them to use during the construction process of the expressway. They argue that the contractor should refill trenches once dug to enable easy passage.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia had earlier said that the pain experienced by motorists is only short-term and that the Nairobi Expressway will reduce travel time between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Westlands. He said, "In the meantime, I know there are a lot of inconveniences as people are spending longer hours in traffic but the reason we are constructing the Nairobi Expressway is to solve the traffic jam that was there before. If there was no traffic congestion before there would be no justification to construct the highway. This pain we are having now is very short-term pain."
However, motorists are not convinced and are demanding better management of the construction process to minimize the impact on road users.
