Police announce operation on Nairobi-Nakuru Highway after 15-hour gridlock
The National Police Service (NPS) has confirmed the deployment of additional security officers on the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway following a 15-hour gridlock.
In a statement, NPS Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga indicated that the police would help enforce traffic rules on the highway, which left hundreds of motorists stranded from Friday, May 9, 2025, to Saturday, May 10, 2025.
“Additional police officers have been deployed and will take stern action against those flouting traffic rules,” the statement read in part.
“We urge motorists to remain patient, maintain lane discipline, and consider alternative routes to ease congestion and enhance road safety,” Muchiri insisted.
Smooth flow restored
At the same time, NPS announced that traffic had been restored on the highway following the 15-hour gridlock.
“The National Police Service (NPS) wishes to inform the public of a serious traffic gridlock along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, which lasted for more than 15 hours. However, the free flow of traffic has now been fully restored,” Muchiri indicated.
Police blamed the heavy traffic on the heavy rains, which pounded the area for over 12 hours from Friday.
Further, police indicated that the situation was worsened by motorists failing to adhere to lane discipline.
“This unfortunate incident was caused by several factors, the key among them being heavy rainfall in Nakuru City and its surroundings, which began at around 4:00 pm yesterday and continued until 8:00 pm, a non-injury traffic accident near Baruk area; and a second non-injury accident near the Soysambu area, which further disrupted traffic flow just as it was stabilising,” NPS explained.
“The situation was further exacerbated by motorists failing to adhere to traffic rules, leading to overlapping and lane indiscipline.
NPS, with support from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the Ministry of Transport officials responded swiftly and progressively restored smooth traffic flow.”
KeNHA had earlier issued a statement blaming motorists for overlapping and widespread driver indiscipline, which significantly hampered the flow of vehicles throughout the night.
To ease the traffic pressure and facilitate smoother movement, the authority advised motorists heading towards Nakuru to consider using alternative routes.
They advised motorists to reroute through Gilgil, pass through Olkalou and Dundori, and proceed to Lanet. Another option was to use the Flyover route through Njambini, then continue to Olkalou and Dundori, and finally join the road at Lanet.
