Motorists spend night along highway following a major traffic snarl-up

Motorists wait along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway following a major traffic jam that lasted for over 12 hours after a road accident involving a trailer and personal car near Gilgil weighbridge on Thursday evening. Tens of passengers were forced to spend the night on the section of the road after transport was paralyzed by overlapping drivers. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

Tens of motorists including a group of mourners were on Thursday night forced to spend the night along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway following a major traffic snarl-up near the Gilgil weighbridge.

By Friday midday, the situation had worsened with overlapping drivers blamed as tens of police moved in to try and clear the snarl-up.

This came as motorists using the highway called on the government to hasten the planned construction of the Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway to address the perennial jams.

The problem started on Thursday afternoon during the NYS graduation in Gilgil that was graced by President Ruto and attended by hundreds of relatives.

According to Gilgil Deputy County Commissioner Willy Cheboi, as the crowd was leaving the town, there was an accident involving a trailer and personal car near the weighbridge.

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He noted that within minutes the highway was impassable due to the high traffic that was worsened by the overlapping drivers.

"It took police over five hours to clear the wrecks from the road and by this time flow of traffic was at standstill forcing motorists to spend the night on the road," he said.

Speaking on phone, Cheboi added that the crisis deepened on Friday morning after another trailer developed a mechanical problem blocking one side of the road.

"Traffic and regular police officers have been dispatched to the area to try and clear the backlog and we are calling on motorists to use alternative routes," he said.

Among those caught up in the jam were mourners who were traveling to Siaya from Mombasa for a burial of a kin.

According to one of the mourners Victor Obote, all their burial preparations had stalled after spending the night on the road with the body.

"We were headed to Siaya for a burial but we have been stranded here for hours and there is nothing that we can do," he said.

This was echoed by another mourner Amina Juma who said that getting food and sanitation around the area was the biggest challenge leading to a crisis for tens of families.

"I was headed to Eldoret to deliver some goods but I have been stranded here for hours and the jam is getting worse by the hour," said a driver, George Waweru.

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