NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 19 – Small-scale traders operating along Thika Road were left counting losses Wednesday evening after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) moved in with excavators and security officers to demolish structures erected on the highway’s road reserve.
The operation, carried out in the busy Githurai area, saw kiosks, wooden stalls and makeshift sheds flattened as enforcement teams cleared what the authority described as illegal encroachments on public land.
Witnesses said excavators arrived under police escort shortly before dusk, pulling down rows of roadside businesses as stunned traders scrambled to salvage goods.
Several traders claimed they had operated in the area for years and accused authorities of heavy-handedness. Some said they had received verbal warnings but were not prepared for the sudden enforcement.
KeNHA has consistently maintained that road reserves are protected corridors meant to ensure safety, allow future expansion and prevent obstruction of highways. The agency argues that structures erected on these corridors endanger both motorists and pedestrians and interfere with drainage systems and infrastructure maintenance.
In recent months, the authority has intensified crackdowns on encroachment along major highways, citing rising concerns over traffic safety and urban planning.
By Wednesday night, piles of twisted iron sheets, broken timber and scattered merchandise lined sections of the service lanes near Githurai, as affected traders tried to recover what they could.
Yesterday, the Githurai stretch of the Thika Superhighway transformed into a scene of chaos as traders and residents clashed with authorities over a planned mass eviction.
The demonstrations were sparked by a final vacation notice issued by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), which aims to clear road reserves to make way for the construction of new bus bays and the expansion of service lanes.
By late afternoon, the Nairobi-bound lanes were completely paralyzed as protesters lit bonfires and used burning tires to create a smoking blockade across the overpass.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense as police moved in to disperse the crowds, leading to running skirmishes that lasted well into the evening.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had issued a seven-day ultimatum to roadside traders operating along sections of the Thika Superhighway, ordering them to vacate road reserves to allow for the construction of designated bus bays aimed at improving safety and easing congestion.
In a public notice dated February 9, 2026, KeNHA said the clearance will affect traders operating at Roysambu in both directions and Githurai on the Nairobi-bound side of the highway. The agency said the exercise is part of ongoing road safety improvement initiatives targeting one of the country’s busiest transport corridors.
According to KeNHA, the planned bus bays will provide safe and orderly points for passenger pick-up and drop-off, a move expected to reduce traffic snarl-ups and curb accidents frequently associated with illegal stopping along the highway.
“This is to pave the way for the construction of designated bus bays, aimed at ensuring safe and orderly passenger pick-up and drop-off, as well as reducing traffic congestion along the affected sections,” the authority said in the notice signed by Acting Director General Eng. Luka Kimeli.
The highways agency warned that encroachment on road reserves poses a serious risk to motorists, pedestrians and traders themselves, noting that the clearance will ensure unobstructed flow of traffic along the superhighway.
Thika Road has long been plagued by congestion and safety concerns, particularly around informal bus stops and roadside trading zones where public service vehicles frequently stop to pick and drop passengers, often outside designated areas.
KeNHA said affected traders have seven days from the date of the notice to remove their goods voluntarily, urging compliance to avoid enforcement action. The authority did not indicate whether alternative trading spaces would be provided.
