Motorists travelling along the busy Nakuru–Eldoret highway on Sunday, December 28, were subjected to hours-long delays after heavy traffic brought movement to a near standstill.
Photos circulated online by the Long-Distance Drivers and Conductors Association showed an extended queue of vehicles stretching around Gilgil, as thousands of holidaymakers made their way to Eldoret and other parts of Western Kenya.
The congestion was largely blamed on an influx of festive travellers, further worsened by persistent rainfall that disrupted smooth traffic flow along the corridor.
Apart from the surge in vehicles, ongoing road works aimed at improving the highway were also cited as a contributing factor to the slowdown, with several sections narrowing traffic into fewer lanes.
Despite the long delays, no accident or obstruction was reported along the stretch, with authorities indicating that the snarl-up was caused purely by volume pressure as many vehicles converged on the same route simultaneously.
Motorists stranded on the highway shared their frustrations on social media, with one traveller noting that the heavy rains had made it impossible even for motorcycles to manoeuvre around the traffic using the roadside terrain.
“We are stuck near Shinners Boys and the jam is massive. Even boda bodas can’t move because of the rain and terrain,” the motorist posted.
Road users were advised to consider alternative routes, with warnings that the congestion was unlikely to ease immediately due to continuous arrivals of vehicles heading upcountry.
The Nakuru–Eldoret highway is notorious for traffic bottlenecks during festive seasons, as Kenyans travel to their rural homes. Congestion is also expected to spike again in early January when schools reopen and normal work schedules resume.
In anticipation of the holiday rush, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had earlier released alternative routes to ease pressure on major highways.
Motorists heading to Nakuru were advised to use the Naivasha–Njabini–Ol Kalou–Ol Joro Orok–Lanet route, while those travelling to Western and Nyanza regions were encouraged to take the Nairobi–Suswa–Narok corridor.
KeNHA has continued to urge motorists to remain patient, follow traffic advisories, and monitor official communication channels for real-time updates on traffic conditions.
The government has previously assured road users that long-term infrastructure upgrades on the corridor will eventually ease congestion, calling on travellers to bear with temporary disruptions as construction progresses.
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