Nairobi Gridlock as Matatus Defy Call-Off and Stage Protests

By Dawan Africa - Reporter

Kenya, 2 February 2026 - Workers and schoolchildren faced difficulties reaching their destinations on Monday after a section of matatu operators held demonstrations.

Although the strike had been called off in Nairobi, some operators blocked key terminals, causing gridlock.

The most notable disruption occurred along Outering Road, a major route connecting Mombasa Road to Thika Superhighway.

A Nairobi resident who works in the godowns in Baba Dogo told Dawan Africa that she had to walk to Kariobangi Roundabout, from where she paid double the normal fare charged by matatu operators on an ordinary day.

“I tried to get a boda boda or a cab via a taxi-hailing app, but they were charging KSh 390 for bike and KSh 790 for a cab from Total Outering to Baba Dogo,” she said, but declined to be named.

Dawan Africa witnessed the traffic snarl-up, with some motorists driving on the wrong side of the road to reach alternative routes to their destinations.

The main cause was the matatu drivers of affected saccos literally parked their vehicles on sections of roads within the city, leaving no space.

Traffic police officers were busy for the better part of Monday morning.

Apart from Outering Road, other affected routes included Juja Road, Thika Road, Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s CBD, and Waiyaki Way.

At the end of January, transport operators across Kenya had issued a nationwide strike notice, citing a trend of vehicle torching and mob violence involving boda boda riders.

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The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), matatu owners, truck operators, taxi and cab operators, and private motorists said they were united in condemning mob justice on Kenyan roads.

“No Kenyan has the right to act as judge, jury and executioner on our roads,” the group said in a joint resolution on 28 January 2026.

On 23 January 2026, a Forward Travellers Sacco matatu was torched on Juja Road after it allegedly ran over a pedestrian and the driver tried to flee.

Angry residents and boda boda riders surrounded the green and yellow matatu and set it on fire before law enforcement arrived.

Witnesses said a boda boda rider came on the wrong side of the road and the matatu driver caused an accident in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision.

The matatus under the sacco are common along Juja Road, snaking a long the road with pickup and drop points near Huruma Chief's office, Moi Air Base, Eastleigh, Mlango Kubwa, Pangani, Kariokor and opposite Mathai's Supermarket in town.

On 31 December 2025, boda boda riders set a 14-seater matatu on fire at Gitaru along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway following an accident that killed a rider.

Matatu operators claim most boda boda operators are above the law.