City motorists held in traffic jam as matatu operators block road
City motorists were on Tuesday held up in traffic jams for over six hours after matatu operators plying Juja road went on strike over the poor state of roads.
Most passengers had to trek long distances after spending several hours in the jam.
The matatu blocked Juja road at Mlango Kubwa from 8am until around 3.30pm when they relented and resumed normal operations.
The Traffic commandant Jacinta Muthoni said that senior police officers and officials from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority assured the matatu operators that the roads would be repaired.
As a result, Thika Superhighway, Jogoo, Muranga, and Forest roads and most roads within the city were affected.
“The disruption affected all roads in the city. Even after the traffic resumed normal, it still took several hours for the roads to clear,” she said
Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko and Bishop Magret Wanjiru addressed the striking matatu operators before they agreed to allow vehicles to move freely.
Matatu operators and residents have in the recent past resorted to demonstrations over poor state of the roads.
On March 31, residents of Donholm Savana took to the streets, demanding that the county government repair the road. They lit bonfires at the intersection of streets leading to Donholm and Umoja, obstructing traffic.