For thousands of commuters, motorists, and pedestrians, peak hours in Mlolongo are nothing short of a nightmare. The stretch of Mombasa Road between Allpack Industry and the iconic yellow Mlolongo footbridge covering AIC Kasina to the Mlolongo weighbridge routinely descends into chaos.
What should be a short drive often turns into a frustrating ordeal as traffic grinds to a crawl. Trucks line the roadside, matatus weave recklessly through lanes, and private motorists are forced into a slow-motion struggle that tests their patience daily.
At the center of this congestion is the Mlolongo Weighbridge. Originally designed to ease the flow of trucks heading into Nairobi through a dedicated service lane branching off at AIC Kasina, the plan has gone awry. The service lane is now dominated by mechanics who have turned it into a repair yard for the very trucks it was meant to serve. This forces heavy vehicles back onto the main highway, creating a dangerous clash with matatus and private cars.
The problem is compounded at the junction where the weighbridge service lane meets Mombasa Road. Matatus habitually stop here to pick and drop passengers, blocking traffic and causing confusion. Trucks attempting to swing into the service lane are met with resistance, while private motorists are left stranded in the mess. At times, police intervention is the only way to untangle the gridlock.
Ironically, Mlolongo once had an orderly bus park that provided structure to the area’s transport system. But it was first converted into a garbage collection site, and later into a bustling mitumba market. With its loss, Mlolongo was stripped of an organized hub for matatus and buses, leaving chaos in its place.
“We had a bus park before, but they eliminated it. Now everyone suffers — matatus, trucks, even pedestrians. It’s just poor planning,” laments Janet Atieno, a local commuter.
For drivers like Peter Mwangi, the frustration is all too real: “From Allpack to the footbridge, I can sit for half an hour — just a few kilometers.”
The daily gridlock is no accident. It is the direct result of poor planning, neglect, and a failure to preserve order. Until authorities act, Mlolongo’s commuters will remain trapped in traffic purgatory.
