Police announce temporary road closures for Nairobi City Marathon

Deputy Traffic Commander Nairobi region Rashid Ali said the road closures will begin on Saturday, July 6, at midnight and remain in force until 2pm on Sunday, July 7, a few hours after the end of the fifth edition of the annual race.

In a press conference on Thursday, Ali said the Nairobi Expressway will be closed from JKIA to the ABC area along Waiyaki Way, while other key roads including Uhuru Highway, City Hall Way, Kenyatta Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Moi Avenue, University Way and Koinange Street will also be inaccessible during the event.

“On traffic issues we shall close Expressway all the way from JKIA to Waiyaki Way ABC. Uhuru Highway both sides will be closed, Kenyatta Avenue, Haile Selassie, City Hall Way, Moi Avenue, University Way and Koinange Street, all those areas will be closed,” said Ali.

The first race on the programme of activities, which will be beamed live on Citizen TV, will be the men's and women’s 42km at 6:45 am, followed by the half-marathon (21km) at 9:00 am while the 10km race will gun off at 10:00 am and the 5km family fun run at 11:00 am.

“Those roads will be closed at midnight to 1400 hours. We will open the roads as we go. When we’re through with 42km we shall open partially which will not interfere with 21km. The moment we’re through with 21km we shall open as we go so that we don’t interfere with 10km,” he added.

To ease disruptions, police have identified several alternative routes that will remain operational throughout the marathon that has attracted a record 17,000 athletes from over 75 countries.

Lusaka Road, Raila Odinga Road, Ngong Road and James Gichuru Road will remain open, although motorists will be diverted at designated points to avoid crossing the race route.

Ali explained that motorists travelling from Ngong Road towards the CBD will be diverted at Bunyala Roundabout, while drivers approaching from Westlands will be redirected at the ABC underpass.

Vehicles travelling from Mombasa Road towards the city centre will also be guided through alternative routes to ease congestion.

Competition Director Kennedy Tanui said organisers had coordinated extensively with security agencies and Nairobi City County to ensure residents are informed ahead of the event.

Despite concerns over traffic disruptions, organisers maintained that the impact on Nairobi’s road network will be limited.

According to Tanui, approximately 90 per cent of the city’s roads will remain open, with restrictions mainly affecting the Expressway and roads directly connected to the marathon route.

Security agencies have also moved to reassure participants and motorists ahead of the event. Nairobi County Head of Operations Benjamin Bowen said law enforcement officers have already begun preparations and will deploy personnel from various units across the city.

“On our side of preparedness, I began by saying that we’re very much ready. Security here in Nairobi is not very bad though we have some potential threats which do occur in any space,” Bowen said.

He added that officers from the Administration Police Service, Traffic Police, General Service Unit and anti-terror units would be deployed to secure athletes, spectators and members of the public.

“We are ready and be assured that we shall play adequately. We shall be guided by officers from the Administration Police Service, the traffic department, the GSU and the anti-terror team. We shall also be assisted by the NYS in control of crowds and maintaining order in public places,” he said.

Organisers also addressed concerns raised during last year’s marathon over vandalism and theft of parked vehicles. Tanui said security has been strengthened at designated parking areas, with about 200 officers set to be deployed to safeguard motorists’ vehicles.