10 hour Mombasa Road snarl-up forces travelers to spend night in rainy weather

Motorists stranded overnight on Nairobi-Mombasa highway after an accident at Lukenya. [Photo: Courtesy]

Tens of motorists spent their Saturday night along Mombasa Road following a huge traffic jam caused by overlapping and stalled Lorries.

The jam that snaked from Makutano area to Lukenya and to Athi River junction had been occasioned by a clash between a lorry and a pick up.

Affected motorists and police also blamed undisciplined drivers for the mess that began on Saturday evening up to Sunday.

“Some drivers are overtaking and overlapping recklessly hence worsening the situation,” said a driver stuck in Lukenya area for 12 hours.

Police on the ground said heavy rains and impatient drivers complicated the situation.

The situation was worsened by heavy rains experienced in the city and a presidential motorcade that was leaving a funeral in Machakos area. The motorcade overlapped with several other motorists in their pursuit to beat the traffic jam.

Some motorists say they had ran out of fuel and are asking for help to open the gridlock.

Some took to social media to vent their anger and frustrations. Others had their friends and relatives tell the experiences they went through on the affected stretch.

In the city, most roads are flooded following heavy rainfall experienced yesterday and overnight. There is poor drainage in the city, which has been clogged because of lack of service.