Motorists travelling along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway are experiencing significant delays after a fatal road accident at the Kinyambu area near Kibwezi triggered a major traffic snarl-up early Saturday morning.
The crash, which reportedly claimed at least one life, occurred at around 2:00 a.m. and disrupted traffic along one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors. The congestion has affected passenger vehicles, cargo trucks and public service buses travelling in both directions.
Bus operator ENA Coach alerted customers that its Mombasa-bound buses were running behind schedule because of the prolonged traffic jam.
In a travel advisory, the company said the disruption was affecting passenger arrival times, parcel deliveries and scheduled afternoon departures.
“Due to an extensive traffic snarl-up at Kibwezi since 2:00 a.m., our Mombasa-bound buses are currently operating behind schedule. This may impact passenger arrivals, parcel services, and afternoon departures,” the company said.
The Nairobi-Mombasa Highway is the country’s main road link between the capital and the Coast region, carrying thousands of travellers and commercial vehicles every day. Any disruption along the route often affects transport schedules and the movement of goods across the country.
The Kibwezi section has previously experienced lengthy traffic delays following major accidents, particularly because of the high volume of heavy commercial vehicles using the highway.
As of Saturday morning, traffic remained backed up for several kilometres as emergency teams and police officers worked at the scene to clear the wreckage and restore normal traffic flow.
Authorities had not issued an official statement on the cause of the accident or confirmed the identity of the person who died by the time of publication.
Motorists heading towards Mombasa or Nairobi have been advised to expect delays and, where possible, consider adjusting their travel plans until traffic returns to normal.