Home / National

Reason for traffic disruption on Nairobi Expressway on Thursday

A section of the Nairobi Expressway near Imara Daima estate flooded as heavy rains pounded in Nairobi on May 2, 2024. (Screengrab)

By Maureen Kinyanjui | 03 May 2024

The heavy rains have rendered several roads in the city estates impassable and flooded since they began.

Moja Expressway, the company which runs Nairobi Expressway has revealed that surface runoff and rainwater from Momabsa road is what caused traffic disruption at two of their stations.

In an update on Thursday night, it was revealed that surface runoff and rainwater from the adjacent Mombasa road caused the flooding between the JKIA Entrance Toll Station and the Eastern Bypass Entrance A Toll Station.

Keep reading

"The section of the road has experienced significant flooding due to surface runoff and rainwater from the adjacent Mombasa road affecting movement on 2 lanes," reads the notice.

However, the company dispatched its team to work on the affected site to control traffic and ensure a safe commute for all motorists.

The heavy rains have rendered several roads in the city estates impassable and flooded since they began.

On Wednesday, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority announced that several major roads have been heavily affected, necessitating partial closures for the safety of motorists.

The affected roads included Enterprise Road, Eastern Bypass, and Thika Bypass, where flooding and waterlogging have rendered sections impassable.

The expressway has always flooded whenever heavy rains are experienced in the city.

Kenya Meteorological Department in its latest update covering the period from April 30 to May 6, further warned that some parts of the country might experience mudslides.

According to the weatherman, heavy rainfall is expected in some parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Rift Valley, the South-eastern lowlands, North-western and North-eastern Kenya.

The areas to be affected include Nairobi, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Kiambu, Meru, Embu, Machakos, Kitui, Makueni, Kajiado, Wajir, Garissa, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Narok, Nakuru, Trans-Nzoia and Uasin-Gishu.

The number of Kenyans who have died from the ongoing nationwide floods rose to 210 as of Friday morning as the nation continues to battle with torrential rains.

The Ministry also said 22 fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours. So far, the number of missing people remains at 90 while 125 people have been reported injured.

The number of displaced households is 33,100, affecting approximately 165,500 people.

In total, at least 196,296 people have been impacted by the heavy rains.