The Kenya Urban Roads Authority is planning major traffic changes along Ngong Road, including the removal of the busy Daystar University roundabout, as part of a wider strategy aimed at easing chronic congestion across Nairobi.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The project is expected to target some of the city’s worst traffic bottlenecks, including the Prestige area, City Mortuary junction, sections of Mbagathi Way and routes linking Kibera to Yaya Centre.

According to officials, the planned upgrades could include construction of new flyovers similar to the recently completed Ngong Road projects and the ongoing Kenyatta Avenue-Upper Hill Viaduct.

KURA Director General Silas Kinoti says the changes are intended to improve traffic flow, reduce travel time and ease pressure on key road corridors connecting Upper Hill, the Central Business District and surrounding residential areas.

📌 What You Need to Know

The broader Ngong Road infrastructure upgrades are estimated to have cost about Ksh3.8 billion and were reportedly financed through a soft loan arrangement aimed at improving Nairobi’s urban transport network.

“Beyond the transport benefits, the road works have already created more than 200 permanent jobs for people living around the project areas, while many others have benefited indirectly through business and construction opportunities linked to the upgrades,” said Silas Kinoti.

The roads targeted for expansion and redesign have, for years, been associated with long traffic delays, especially during peak hours, affecting commuters travelling between the CBD, Upper Hill, Ngong Road, and Karen.

KURA officials argue that the projects are not only aimed at improving transport efficiency but also at reducing carbon emissions caused by long hours spent in traffic congestion, with movement from the Nairobi Library area to Karen projected to take approximately eight minutes once the transport improvements are fully operational

The government is additionally planning to introduce intelligent traffic management systems across more than 400 key junctions in Nairobi.

The system is expected to include smart traffic lights and surveillance cameras capable of monitoring traffic flow and capturing reckless or irregular driving behaviour to improve enforcement and road safety.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke