Transport along Thika Road was briefly disrupted on Friday morning, July 31, 2026, after a man jumped from the Kahawa Wendani footbridge, prompting motorists to slow down as authorities responded to the incident.
Videos circulating on social media showed vehicles keeping a distance from the area where the man had landed on the road, while members of the public gathered along the roadside as the scene attracted the attention of motorists and pedestrians.
The man’s body had been covered with a white cloth as people waited for authorities to manage the scene and facilitate the removal of the body.
Traffic officers later arrived at the scene and directed motorists to use one lane as they worked to clear the road and manage the flow of traffic.
The temporary traffic control measures resulted in a brief disruption along the busy highway, with motorists forced to slow down as officers worked to ensure the area was cleared safely.
The incident also attracted a crowd of onlookers who milled around the nearby footpaths as traffic officers and other responders handled the situation.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, including what may have prompted the man to jump from the footbridge, were not immediately clear.
Authorities had not issued an official statement providing further details on the man’s identity or the circumstances leading to the incident by the time of publication.
The incident comes as Thika Road remains one of Nairobi’s busiest transport corridors, regularly carrying large volumes of motorists and public service vehicles between the city centre and areas along the Thika Superhighway.
Similar incident
This comes just days after traffic along the busy road was similarly brought to a standstill on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, after protesters blocked sections of the highway following the discovery of a man’s body floating in the Ruiru River near Gwa Kairo Stage.
A video seen by K24 Digital showed a large crowd, including boda boda riders and residents, gathered at the scene as protesters erected barricades on one side of the busy highway while emergency responders moved in to retrieve the body from the river.
The incident left commuters stranded on the busy highway as they watched the recovery operation unfold.
The discovery sparked anger and shock in the area, prompting residents and boda boda riders to stage protests that disrupted traffic along the major highway.
The protests caused heavy traffic for motorists travelling from Nairobi towards Ruiru and Thika, with congestion stretching from the Kimbo underpass to the Ruiru Bypass.
Motorists and commuters travelling towards Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) were also affected by the disruption, with delays reported at major intersection points, including Pangani and Ngara.
Drivers travelling from Nairobi were advised to use the service lane and turn towards Ruiru Ndani near Plainsview Hospital before proceeding to the roundabout a few metres from Quickmart.
They were then advised to take the road that reconnected with Thika Road while avoiding the route leading towards Ruiru Prison.
The diversion allowed motorists to bypass the traffic snarl-up before rejoining the Thika Superhighway service lane near the Kenya Power offices in Ruiru and continuing towards Kimbo.
