A major relief is, however, on the horizon for thousands of residents of Kiambu who must dedicate their morning and evening hours commuting through traffic along the Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi road.
On Sunday, Kenyan President William Ruto revealed that the dualling of this major road is set to begin in February 2026 since funding for the Ksh22 billion project is already in place.
This is after the Head of State made the announcement while attending a church service at Karure, Kiambu County, where he addressed the residents about the daily challenges they encounter in entering or leaving the city of Nairobi.
“Many people from Kiambu reside in Nairobi to work and do business,” Ruto stated. “This road should take no more than 20 minutes. Now, due to traffic, it takes 40 minutes or more. That is not right,” he added.
Ruto announced that he himself would break ground for the construction works next year, with the project aimed at reducing congestion in order to improve the flow of traffic between Kiambu and the capital.
This road, which is presently two-lane, is to be upgraded to a dual carriageway road. Additionally, bypass roads, service roads, and loops that would ensure better traffic flow are to be constructed, in keeping with plans made by the government that were ratified by the Cabinet on November 11.
Contrary to previous road development projects, this upgrading process will also accommodate pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Non-motorized transport lanes and commuting facilities will be provided to ensure that the road is safe for use by everyone.
According to the government, the duelling is one of the efforts aimed at ensuring that the transport infrastructure in the Kenyan metropolitan area is in line with the Vision 2030 plan.
This is occurring at a moment when demands for relieving traffic bottlenecks along the major roads serving Kiambu County were intensifying. It would appear that just two days before this announcement, the president announced plans for constructing an expressway that would connect Thika to the capital, measuring 60 kilometers long. This took place at the 62nd Jamhuri Day event held at the Nyayo Stadium.
He added that the expressway, which is set to break ground in 2026, will be constructed alongside Thika Road, which is becoming increasingly congested with more Kenyans moving to the district of Kiambu to live and work in the nearby city of Nairobi.
“There are too many vehicles on Thika Road,” Ruto is quoted to have said during the festivities. “We need another road that would ensure easier movement.” If implemented as planned, the two road construction projects would go a long way in reducing distances as well as alleviate some of the pressure on the existing roads, which provide relief to commuters who lose time through traffic bottlenecks.
