Motorists spend night in Mai Mahiu traffic jam

Tens of drivers were forced to spend the night on the road following a major traffic jam along the Mai Mahiu-Limuru road.

The jam that stretched more than 20kms on both sides of the road was caused by a trailer which was involved in an accident on Friday evening blocking a section of the road.

There were fears that drivers, mainly those with trucks, could spend another day on the road as efforts by police to tow away the truck had been thwarted by overlapping vehicles.

For years, the narrow road has become a problem for drivers destined for neighbouring countries, the Maasai Mara and Western Kenya due to weekly snarl-ups.

Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru blamed impatient drivers for the delay in clearing the road.

“Our officers could not reach the scene of the accident and tow away the wreckage due to overlapping drivers. This led to a snarl-up that has lasted for over 24 hours,” he said.

Motorcycle operator Peter Gicheru said the jam started after the driver lost control of the trailer and crashed on Friday evening.

He said the situation was worsened by overlapping drivers and the majority of motorists had to spend the night in the cold.

“Overlapping drivers are to blame for this jam that is entering the second day. The only solution is to expand the road,” Gicheru said.

Truck driver Joseph Karanja said they lose a lot of time every month due to the perennial jams on the section of the road.

Karanja, who spent eight hours on the road, urged the government to expand the road.

“We fear that some of us might be forced to spend another night on the road as the flow of traffic is still slow and drivers are still overlapping,” he said.

Driver Joseph Kariuki said the perennial jams, mainly caused by minor accidents or mechanical breakdowns, are worrying.

“The government is losing a lot of revenue as many of the trucks are ferrying sand and other critical materials,” trader Eunice Njeri said.