Busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway blocked by protestors

Nairobi- Nakuru Highway

Traffic jam along the Nairobi- Nakuru Highway. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Protesting residents from Ihindu, Naivasha, barricaded the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway on Monday after a local was killed by a speeding motorist in a hit-and-run incident this morning.

Unsuspecting motorists found themselves caught up in the morning jam before police arrived and cleared the highway.

The killing is the third such incident in a week, and has sparked bitter protests as residents demand that the government erect speed bumps to help minimise deaths.

The resident was reportedly knocked down while headed to a nearby market to hawk his wares.

Busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway blocked by protests

Area member of county assembly and former majority leader, Stanley Karanja, said two other persons were hit and killed by motorists near the same spot last week. 

“The stretch has become a death trap for locals and I urge the government to quickly address the issue,” he said.

He noted that locals used the particular spot, which is near a busy market, to cross the road to their destinations.

Nairobi-Nakuru Highway Ihindu accident

Ihindu residents mill around the accident scene where a hawker was hit and killed by a speeding motorist on the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway on August 2, 2021. 

Photo credit: Macharia Mwangi | Nation Media Group

Police had a hectic time clearing the busy road as the traffic jam stretched from Kijabe Mission Hospital junction to Naivasha town.

“I was headed to Naivasha but I have been stuck for more than two hours,” said John Kinuthia, a resident.

Last week, police lobbed teargas cannisters to disperse demonstrating locals after a similar road killing incident.

Following the accident, the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) management erected rumble strips but the locals protested the move, arguing it was not a solution to the numerous accidents. Instead, they 

The 159-kilometre Nairobi-Nakuru highway has been classified as among the most dangerous roads in the country, with the rise in pedestrian accidents at the Kinungi and Ihindu areas becoming a major concern.