Hundreds of motorists were forced to spend the night trapped inside their vehicles after a major traffic snarl-up, triggered by a road accident, brought the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway to a near-complete standstill at Gilgil on Friday night.
The gridlock, which stretched for several kilometres in both directions, left travellers stranded for more than six hours in the cold as emergency crews struggled to clear the wreckage and restore normal traffic flow along one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors.
According to motorists caught in the jam, movement came to a complete halt shortly after 10pm following an accident involving a truck near Naivasha. The collision partially blocked the highway before the congestion rapidly escalated into a massive traffic paralysis affecting thousands of vehicles.
One of the stranded motorists, content creator Dela Comedian, documented the ordeal in a video shared on social media.
“We have slept in traffic for over six hours,” he said, describing the frustration of passengers who remained stuck overnight without knowing when the road would reopen.
Witnesses said traffic from Nakuru towards Nairobi stretched as far as St Mary’s Mission Hospital near the Elementaita area, while motorists travelling from Nairobi towards Nakuru reported queues beginning near the Gilgil Weighbridge.
Police officers and emergency responders were dispatched to the scene to manage traffic and oversee the removal of the damaged truck. However, the scale of the congestion meant that movement remained severely restricted for several hours.
As the night progressed, frustrated travellers turned to social media seeking updates and sharing videos showing endless lines of stationary vehicles, with many expressing concern over the lack of information regarding when the highway would be reopened.
The disruption also affected public transport operators, forcing several bus companies to warn passengers of significant delays in scheduled services.
In a customer advisory, Team Swat Sacco said:
“Esteemed customers, due to a heavy traffic snarl along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, expect delays in arrivals and departures. Parcel collection will also be affected.”
Long-distance bus operator Mash Poa also confirmed widespread disruption.
“We will experience delays in arrivals for all our highway buses and last night departures from Nairobi and Mombasa,” the company said.
It added:
“We will also experience delays in departures for some of our afternoon schedules from Mombasa and upcountry.”
By the time of publication at 10:12am on Saturday, traffic remained heavily disrupted despite ongoing clearance operations, with authorities yet to provide a comprehensive update on when normal traffic flow would be fully restored.
The Nairobi-Nakuru Highway serves as a critical transport link connecting Nairobi with western Kenya, the Rift Valley and neighbouring East African countries, meaning any prolonged disruption often results in extensive delays for commuters, public service vehicles and freight transport.
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