Motorists spend night in traffic jam on Nairobi-Nakuru Highway

Tens of motorists were on Friday forced to spend the night along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway following a major traffic snarl-up that stretched for over 20kms.

By Saturday morning, scores of motorists were still held up by the jam near the Gilgil weighbridge as tired traffic officers tried their best to unlock the gridlock.

Efforts by some of the motorists to seek alternative routes ended in more suffering after their cars got stuck in the mud due to rains that had earlier hit the area.

The jam started on Friday at around 5pm following a slight accident involving a trailer and a personal car near the weighbridge.

Drivers and passengers frustrated after major traffic gridlock at Gilgil weighbridge enters 10th hour pic.twitter.com/nNXWaaQJro

A passenger, Pharis Kariuki, said that the wreckage had blocked one side of the road leading to a slight traffic jam. The situation was worsened by overlapping drivers and within 30 minutes the section of the road was completely blocked.

"This was a small problem worsened by impatient drivers who have now been forced to spend the night here," he said.

A truck driver, Joel Mwadime, blamed Kenyans' queer habits for the jam adding that there were fears that they could spend the better part of the day on the section of the road.

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Mwadime called on stringent laws to deal with overlapping drivers adding that a section of the road had been completely blocked with four lanes on either side.

"Being a Friday, traffic was heavy and due to lack of alternative routes, many of the lorry and PSVs drivers have been forced to spend the night here," he said.

Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru said that they were working closely with their counterparts in Gilgil to help unlock the jam.

"This problem has been caused by overlapping drivers who became impatient but our officers are on the ground looking for a way of clearing the jam," he said.