Traffic chaos offers opportunity to instill discipline and progress

Traffic snarl-up on Nairobi - Nakuru Highway on December 20, 2024. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

Last week, like many Kenyans, I found myself ensnared in a two-hour traffic jam along Mombasa road near the Machakos Junction. The frustration was palpable as vehicles inched forward, drivers honked impatiently, and some resorted to overlapping lanes to escape the gridlock.

This experience, though annoying, is exemplary of broader challenges we face as a nation. Last Friday, a similar scenario unfolded on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway near Naivasha, where motorists were caught in a gridlock stretching for kilometres. Many spent hours stranded, with some spending the night on the road.