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Traffic returns to normal on Mombasa Road after hours of heavy traffic
18th July, 2026 08:26 PM
Traffic has returned to normal on Mombasa Road after motorists spent hours stuck in heavy congestion following a lorry accident near Mlolongo on Saturday, July 18, 2026, in the morning.
Recovery teams cleared the scene, allowing vehicles to move again along the busy highway after a long delay.
A spot check by K24 Digital established that traffic was slowly moving in both lanes between Syokimau and City Cabanas, which was majorly affected by the traffic for the better part of the day.
Traffic on the Nairobi Expressway was also moving smoothly.
Earlier, the congestion affected thousands of motorists travelling between Mlolongo and Nairobi. Both private and commercial vehicles experienced long delays as traffic built up after the accident.
The overturned concrete mixer lorry caused major disruption in the Syokimau area after it blocked part of the road network. Authorities worked for several hours to remove the vehicle and restore the normal flow of traffic.
Recovery clears the highway
The lorry fell onto a section of the Nairobi Expressway, damaging guard rails near Astrol Petrol Station opposite Nation Printers. Several lanes were blocked, making it difficult for motorists to move through the affected section of the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
As recovery operations continued, motorists heading towards Nairobi were advised to use the Nairobi Expressway to avoid the long traffic queues. The diversion helped some drivers avoid the worst of the congestion while work continued at the scene.
The Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association of Kenya (LODCA) also alerted road users about the worsening traffic situation.
“Traffic Alert: From Machakos junction towards Mombasa, the jam is bumper to bumper,” the association said.
Before traffic returned to normal, many motorists took to social media to complain about the long delays. Several shared videos showing vehicles at a standstill and said they had remained stuck on the highway for several hours as they waited for the road to be cleared.
The accident caused one of the worst traffic snarl-ups along the highway. Long queues of vehicles stretched from Mlolongo towards Nairobi’s Central Business District, with some motorists saying on social media they spent more than one hour on the road before traffic began moving again.
The crash happened after a concrete mixer lorry overturned near Mlolongo, bringing traffic to a standstill along parts of Mombasa Road. The incident affected one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors, disrupting the movement of both private vehicles and commercial transport.
