Floods: Kenha, Kura announce partial road closures in Nairobi, Kiambu counties
A flooded section of Thika Superhighway at the Kahawa Sukari exit.
The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) has announced a partial closure of roads in Nairobi and Kiambu counties following heavy rains.
In a statement on social media, Kura said Entreprise Road, Eastern Bypass and Thika Bypass were the worst affected by the rains and traffic was being diverted after they were flooded following heavy rains on Tuesday night.
Kenya National Highways Authority also issued an alert for Thika Road at Sukari drift.
“Following the heavy rains experienced last night across the country, the following roads within Nairobi and Kiambu Counties have been heavily affected leading to partial closure. Enterprise road, Eastern bypass and Thika bypass,” said Kura in a statement.
The authority said traffic police and their technical team are on the ground to direct traffic and enhance safety for motorists.
“We shall keep you posted as the situation unfolds.”
Heavy flooding
Another road also affected is Lang'ata Road in the T-Mall area, which is also impassable due to heavy flooding, making it inaccessible to motorists.
The Thika Superhighway near Kenyatta University was also impassable, stranding motorists and road users for hours as heavy rains continued to pound most of the country.
Meanwhile, six people were rescued on Wednesday morning after floods hit homesteads in Kitengela, Kajado County, following a heavy downpour.
On Tuesday, the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) said in its latest update that Kenyans should expect average to above-average rainfall with occasional storms in May.
This comes as many areas are already experiencing disruptive heavy rains and flooding.
The forecast highlights that April marked the peak of the long rainy season (March-April-May) in most parts of the country, except for the coastal and western regions where the peak is expected this month.
“Going by the models that we are using to make the forecast, that is also one of the places where we expect the season to cease in mid-June,” said KMD Director David Gikungu.
