Motorists plying Nakuru-Kabarak road seek alternative routes, as London protests persist

For the people living in the larger Kiamunyi area the past two days have been the definition of inconvenience. Sitting through traffic for over an hour and half just to be able to get home.

This was caused by chaotic protests by London residents over the death of Daniel Nderitu who was shot by police under unclear circumstances.

Residents say police had gone to Hilton, which is in the London area to collect “tax” but upon arriving the residents used the proverbial line Kenyans use when they don’t want to give out money “si leo”.

Apparently, the men in blue (not really sure they had their uniforms on at the time) decided to show them who is boss and long story short, a young man is lying in a morgue somewhere in Nakuru with a bullet lodged in his head.

Read our previous story to get the gist.

Now, we have this group of unsuspecting residents who after successfully surviving the Monday blues were eagerly waiting to get home but the residents in London decided that they would have to share in their grief and what better way to do so than by blocking the busy Nakuru-Sigor road.

Stones, burnt tires and angry youth with rocks and glass bottles stationed at a vantage point right on top of a hill was the sight motorists were met with when they approached that road in the London area.

Anyone would know passing by that area would not be the best and brightest idea so taking a U turn and seeking an alternative route was the best option.

Most of the motorists had to go to the Nakuru-Eldoret highway and join in through the Mustard Seed School, make their way through Baraka Estate and find their way to Zaburi Shopping Centre which would then lead them to areas of Kabarak on the upper side and Olive Inn on the lower side.

The Nakuru-Eldoret highway was a mess, with others opting to overlap while the law-abiding motorists just sat in traffic.

A drive that would have taken fifteen-minutes at most, turned into an hour plus. That is why we started by stating that it is a story of inconvenience.

On Tuesday, the residents of London turned up the heat and things got so bad that even the police could not contain them and the blockade on the road continued.  They decided to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit and this time you had to pay “tax” so that they could guarantee you safe passage to the other side.

Depending on the size of your car, you would part with sh. 100- sh. 200.

One such individual decided that he was unbwogable (fearless) and he would not give into their demands, let us just say alikuwa funzo kwa wengine ,his car came through the other end with dents and scratches, now the fellow is somewhere budgeting for a new paint job.

For those who have never experienced the Nairobi traffic, on Tuesday evening they got a taste of it, because most motorists plying the Nakuru- Sigor road decided that was no man's land and they all flocked the Nakuru- Eldoret highway.

Traffic police were stationed at the road leading to Mustard seed but they could only do so much.

Coming into Wednesday, things seemed to be returning to normal.

Regardless of the drama, may justice prevail for Duncan Nderitu.