At the Githurai section of the highway, vehicles were seen being turned back as access along parts of the road became increasingly difficult amid the unfolding unrest.

📻 Breaking It Down

NAIROBI, Kenya May 18 — Chaos gripped Thika Road Monday morning after protesters lit tyres along sections of the road, forcing motorists to make abrupt U-turns and disrupting movement around the Githurai area.

Vehicles were turned back as access along parts of the road became increasingly difficult amid the unfolding unrest.

Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the air near Kenyatta Road as burning tyres blocked sections of the carriageway, triggering massive traffic snarl-ups and confusion among commuters heading into Nairobi and its outskirts.

📌 What You Need to Know

Public service vehicles, private motorists and boda boda operators were caught in the disruption, with many stranded or forced to seek alternative routes to avoid the affected areas.

Groups of youth, visibly agitated, occupied sections of the road as tensions remained high. Some protesters gathered near barricaded areas while commuters watched from a distance, uncertain about the evolving situation.

The disruption brought movement along one of Nairobi’s busiest transport corridors to a near standstill, affecting workers, students and traders who rely on the highway during the morning rush hour.

Thousands of stranded commuters streamed through roads and highways across the city after a nationwide transport strike crippled matatu and bus operations, transforming large sections of the capital into a “walking city” as pressure mounted on the government to urgently lower soaring fuel prices.

Stranded commuters in Ruaka gathered at a deserted bus stop after the nationwide transport strike grounded matatus and buses, leaving thousands of passengers with no transport amid rising fuel price protests.

From dawn, crowded bus stops, deserted matatu termini and unusually quiet transport corridors reflected the scale of the coordinated shutdown orchestrated by the Transport Sector Alliance (TSA).

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya