Kenyan traffic police have been deployed to try and ease a massivetraffic jam which has lasted three days along the main highway between Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi.
The road is crucial for the region’s economy as it links the port of Mombasa to landlocked countries. The worst-affected area is around Taru, about 80km from Mombasa.
The jam was caused by repairs being done to the road after recent heavy rains.
Passenger buses and lorries taking goods to Nairobi and beyond were among the stranded vehicles.One motorist told Kenya’s private NTV station that some had been
stuck in the queue for 48 hours. “I have not eaten anything. I am told there are so many vehicles held up in the traffic jam.”
It is only the traffic heading towards Nairobi that is affected by the hold-up.
Some trucks that tried to turn off the single carriageway onto the scrub land alongside have become stuck in the mud.
