Nairobi’s primary logistical artery is about to experience a massive bottleneck. If you have plans to use Mombasa Road or the Nairobi Expressway this coming weekend, you need to rewrite your travel schedule immediately.
The Eastleigh Voice
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has issued a high-priority public notice confirming a total 24-hour closure of the busiest sections of both the lower highway and the elevated toll road.
The Eastleigh Voice
The lockdown kicks off on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 10:00 PM and runs continuously until Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 10:00 PM.
Unlike minor lane adjustments, this is a full structural closure to allow heavy engineering teams to hoist massive, fabricated steel beams into place for the new Airtel Footbridge. Because these heavy beams span the entirety of both transport decks, all movement through this zone will be completely suspended for safety.
The Eastleigh Voice
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The Bottleneck Zones: Where Traffic Will Stand Still
The 24-hour closure creates a complete dead-zone across a crucial multi-lane highway stretch. Motorists will be physically blocked at the following nodes:
Lower Mombasa Road (A8): The entire Mombasa-bound carriageway will be locked down between the Airtel Complex and the General Motors (GM) junction.
The Eastleigh Voice
The Nairobi Expressway: Both the CBD-bound and Mlolongo-bound lanes will be completely inaccessible to all vehicles between the Airtel Complex and General Motors stretches.
NARRATIVE OF THE HIGHWAY LOCKDOWN (24 HOURS)
[Mombasa Road Lower Carriageway] ──► 🛑 Locked Down (Mombasa-bound side only)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Nairobi Expressway Upper Deck] ──► 🛑 Completely Closed (Both directions)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Affected Geographic Stretch] ──► From Airtel Complex to General Motors (GM)
The Spillover Effect: Industrial Area Diversion Chaos
To keep traffic moving, KeNHA has designed a diversion loop that will route hundreds of public service vehicles, private cars, and heavy commercial transit trucks through the inner roads of Nairobi’s Industrial Area.
While the diversion is necessary, transport analysts warn that routing heavy highway traffic through industrial avenues will cause extreme congestion.
www.the-star.co.ke
THE MANDATORY ESCAPE LOOPS
Heading Toward Mombasa/JKIA Heading Toward Nairobi CBD
┌─────────────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ • Exit highway at Airtel. │ │ • Expressway users exited early │
│ • Turn onto Likoni Road. │ VS │ at Cabanas or Ole Sereni. │
│ • Navigate Enterprise Road. │ │ • Re-routed onto the lower │
│ • Rejoin A8 Highway at GM. │ │ CBD-bound Mombasa Road lanes. │
└─────────────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────────────┘
The inward push into Likoni Road and Enterprise Road means the surrounding commercial districts will face severe gridlock throughout Sunday. Long-distance haulers moving cargo from the Rift Valley toward the coast will mix with domestic shoppers, creating slower transit speeds.
The Eastleigh Voice
Severe Warning for International Airport Commuters
The group facing the highest risk during this 24-hour construction window are passengers with scheduled flights out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Because the closure chops directly through the main route connecting the Nairobi CBD to the airport, a standard 25-minute drive could easily turn into an hour-long crawl through the Industrial Area diversion loops.
The Airport Strategy: If you are catching an international or domestic flight between Saturday night and Sunday night, do not rely on your usual transit timelines. Leave your residence at least 1.5 to 2 hours earlier than normal. If possible, consider utilizing alternative regional bypasses like the Southern Bypass to connect to Embakasi without entering the Mombasa Road bottleneck.
Project Specifications & Safety Mandates
Operational Metric KeNHA Structural Directive
Active Window Saturday 10:00 PM to Sunday 10:00 PM (June 13–14, 2026)
Engineering Scope Lifting and securing heavy steel footbridge spans over upper and lower decks
Enforcement Squad National Police Service & Uniformed Traffic Marshals
Penalty for Violations Immediate vehicle impoundment for overlapping or breaking barriers
Bottom Line: Plan Ahead or Stay Clear
KeNHA has deployed an extensive team of traffic marshals and police officers to manage the diversion intersections at the Airtel Complex and General Motors loops. However, no amount of traffic management can completely eliminate the delay caused by squeezing a major international highway into secondary industrial avenues.
www.the-star.co.ke
If you do not have an essential reason to visit the industrial zone or the airport corridor this weekend, the best economic decision is to avoid the area entirely until the footbridge beams are locked into place and the highway reopens on Sunday night.
