Traffic jams in Nairobi to continue, warns senior officer

Residents of Nairobi should expect more traffic snarl-ups as they approach the festive season, traffic police boss Edward Mwamburi has said.

The warning comes after residents Thursday witnessed unexpected traffic mayhem on major roads that persisted for hours.

Many motorists found themselves on the wrong side of the law after they resorted to short-cuts in order to make it to their destinations on time.

Mwamburi attributed Thursday's intense traffic jam to several graduation ceremonies taking place in Nairobi.

"Over 3,000 students from the Kenya Medical Training College had their graduation on Thursday (Thursday). This attracted over 10,000 more people considering that every student had at least five visitors," said Mwamburi.

This, he said, led to a spillover of traffic from Ngong Road around Kenyatta National Hospital causing a huge backlog in Mombasa road.

Further, the commandant warned that motorists might Friday experience worse traffic jams as the University of Nairobi holds its graduation ceremony.

Mwamburi said as the festive season approaches, the situation is not likely to change. "People are travelling up-country with parents taking time with their children for festivity purposes. This means more traffic is expected through the season," he said.

The Mombasa Road traffic jam started from Sabaki in Athi River to town affecting those rushing to and from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

"I left my house at 5am for the airport to see if I could get a flight to Mombasa but had to return home because of traffic," said Lucy Wambui from Kitengela.

The last time Nairobi residents witnessed such a traffic jam was when Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero introduced the infamous "Kidero drums" in a bid to decongest roads.

However, this only worsened the situation, and he got heavy criticism especially from public service vehicle drivers.

Kidero's plan is to get rid of all roundabouts.