'No partying, parking along the road!' Gov't imposes stricter rules ahead of Safari Rally

The government has introduced stringent rules ahead of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Naivasha in a bid to contain the perennial traffic jams.

Among the rules include a ban on partying and parking along the Moi South Lake Road, with hundreds of revellers expected for the global event that kicks off on Thursday.

A multi-agency security team has been formed with hotels recording fair bookings for the fourth edition of the global event.

Naivasha Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Josiah Odongo said that the town and its suburbs would be secured ahead of the rally.

“As a sub-county security, we will be working around the clock, as this is a global and national event. We will be working as a multi-agency security team with all other partners alongside WRC so that we support this chapter of Safari Rally so that it is successful,” he said.

DCC Odongo said that parties along Moi South Lake Road, which was one of the rally routes, had been banned in a bid to address the persistent issue of traffic jams.

He noted that they shall not allow any partying, parking of cars along the Moi South Lake Road or hawking and anyone flouting the law will be arrested.

"We are not leaving anything to chance. The last time we had some challenges with traffic along Moi South Lake Road and this time around we will not allow that to happen and we are focusing on that particular route," he stated.

"We will not allow parking along the route and we are going to deploy adequate police officers. They are already on the ground and we are urging the public to comply and not to pack along that road."

According to the police boss, more security officers would be manning the highway while the Gilgil weighbridge, which was one of the main causes of traffic jams, had been automated.

George Njuguna, a hotel manager, said that most of the hotels had recorded impressive bookings but lower compared to last year.

He noted that over 100,000 rally lovers were expected in the town for the three-day event despite the harsh economic times that have eroded purchasing powers for many.

"Bookings are fair but we hope this will change and are working with the government to make this event a success," he said, attributing the low turnout to publicity since many Kenyans were not aware of the rally which is the fourth to be hosted in Naivasha.

On the rally preparations, WRC Service Park Manager Joel Muchiri said that all was set with the first consignment and some of the rally cars arriving over the weekend.

He exuded confidence that the rally would be a success despite the rainy weather saying they were working closely with security officers to make the event successful.