Thousands of motorists and residents of the Nairobi Metropolitan area were left stranded after police sealed off roads while enforcing the 8 pm to 4 am curfew on the night of April 17, 2021.
A number of major roads leading into the city including Thika Road, Langata Road, Mombasa Road, Waiyaki Way, and Jogoo Road had been barricaded causing a major traffic snarl-up.
Other roads within the city had been sealed off at Wilson Airport, Galleria Mall, Mwiki, Kasarani, Junction Mall, Shujaa Mall, Coptic Hospital, Elgeyo Road, Arboretum Road, and Kayole Junction.
Stranded motorists who were stuck in traffic on Thika Superhighway on April 17, 2021. |Courtesy| Twitter|
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The government has since issued a statement, urging members of the public to strictly adhere to the mitigation measures declared in the fight against Covid-19 in the country.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 26, 2021, placed Nairobi, Nakuru, Kajiado, Machakos, and Kiambu Counties under lockdown. This is after they were identified as the Covid-19 hotspots in the country.
Government Spokesperson Colonel Cyrus Oguna asked Kenyans to follow the set regulations as the country strives to flatten the Covid-19 curve.
"It is important that, as a people, we continue to observe the COVID-19 infection control and containment measures, if we are to quickly flatten the infection curve and have our lives get back to normal.
"Observing these measures include strictly respecting the curfew time which starts at 8 pm for the One Zone and 10 pm for the rest of the country. Let this be a collective responsibility," Oguna urged.
The traffic snarl-up was a major headache to essential service providers like ambulances as they could not navigate the jam.
The government urged employers in the country to consider working from home, to allow people to keep safe and adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Those exempted from the curfew include medical professionals, pharmaceutical companies, national security officers, licensed media houses, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Civil Aviation, the Kenya Airport Authority, power production companies, among others.
