The Thika Superhighway has become a daily test of patience for thousands of commuters who use the road daily.
Standstill traffic, unpredictable delays, frequent accidents and growing public frustration have become part of the furniture of a road that was built to speed up movement between Nairobi and central Kenya.
Many feel that rapid population growth along the Thika Road corridor has outpaced the highway’s capacity – turning it into a constant headache to motorists.
Rise of additional infrastructure like apartments, hostels, malls and businesses in estates like Kasarani, Githurai, Ruiru, Juja and Thika town have drawn tens of thousands of new residents.
These developments have silently led to a surge in private cars, matatus and Boda Bodas, all of which have had squeezing into a road that has not received matching upgrades or coordinated traffic management.
Residents like Thomas Oloo have had to readjust their lives.
“I leave my home at 7:00am or earlier if I am to arrive at work around 10am,” says Oloo who works in Westlands., and has to use Thika Superhighway.
“I spend a lot of time on Thika road, the traffic is crazy.” Similar complaints echo from motorists, matatu operators, and business owners who say the gridlock is affecting productivity and customer movement.
Commuters report that congestion worsened significantly in 2024 and 2025, with some experiencing delays of up to two hours between Ruiru and Muthaiga, trips that once took 20 minutes or less.
Major bottlenecks include Githurai 45, Kahawa Sukari, Roysambu, Garden City, and Pangani. Here, overlapping, sudden lane changes, stalled vehicles, weak enforcement, and slow emergency response often turn small disruptions into hours-long tailbacks.
Peter Njoroge, a matatu driver based in Juja says, “When an accident happens, it can take more than an hour for traffic police or tow trucks to reach the scene. By then, all lanes are blocked and no one moves.”
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