Nairobi's Worst Roads to Drive on During Rush Hour

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Nyakundi Report

Newsroom 2 min read

Primary source Kenyan Digest archive

This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.

Nairobi's Traffic Woes

Nairobi is notorious for its traffic jams, with the city ranked as the fifth worst globally by Numbeo in 2017.

The city's traffic congestion is attributed to the mass movement of people during rush hours, with the city's residents facing an average commute time of 62 minutes from residential areas to the city centre.

Interestingly, Nairobi topped the list of worst cities to drive in Africa, beating Cairo, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.

According to the government, traffic jams were costing Nairobi an upwards of Sh2 billion per year in lost productivity.

Worst Roads to Drive on in Nairobi

The road network in Nairobi remains a mystery, with traffic jams persisting despite expansions and the construction of bypasses.

Some of the worst roads to drive on in Nairobi include the Ngong Road, which is congested due to the high number of people using it from Ngong, Karen, and Dagoretti.

Langata Road is another headache for drivers during peak hours, with traffic congestion attributed to the high number of cars per capita in the area.

Thika Road, which was once a 'super highway', has seen traffic congestion creep back in during peak hours in the morning as commuters rush into the CBD.

The Globe Roundabout interchange has not offered a lasting solution, with traffic building up from this point.

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