Transport has been paralysed along the Emali-Oloitokitok Highway in the Kalesirwa area of Kajiado South after protests by residents erupted.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The protests, which took place on Monday, September 14, reportedly stemmed from a month-long power blackout.

Images obtained by  Kenyans.co.ke show the busy highway blocked by massive stones, preventing any movement of vehicles on either side of the road.

Additionally, police vehicles were present, with some residents trying to unbarricade the road to restore normal transport.

📌 What You Need to Know

The disruption has affected public transport operators, including matatus and buses, preventing passengers from travelling between Emali, Loitokitok, and interior trading centres for business, markets, and other daily activities Additionally, long-distance cargo trucks and commercial transporters are also experiencing delays while ferrying goods across the Kajiado-Makueni border area, with some motorists forced to seek alternative routes.

For alternative routes, motorists may use available gravel roads and community feeder tracks branching from the highway, particularly near Imbirikani and Imaruro, although road conditions can vary considerably.

Drivers travelling between Kajiado and Emali can consider internal connections through Mashuru, but should check conditions beforehand or postpone journeys until normal traffic resumes.

The week's power outage has affected Kajiado South residents who use electricity primarily for domestic lighting, running small-scale trading enterprises, powering health and educational facilities, and supporting agricultural and economic transformation projects.

Residents are now calling on Kenya Power to restore electricity to Kalesirwa, saying the extended outage has caused significant economic losses and interfered with normal life in the constituency.

This comes as Kenya Power, alongside the Ministry of Energy, KETRACO, and REREC, is upgrading Kajiado County's fragile electricity network, as the county previously depended on a single, overstretched 33kV line from Kitengela to Namanga, which caused frequent voltage fluctuations and blackouts across remote communities.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke