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Waiyaki Way Is Closing Between GTC and Kempinski for a Month, Here's What It Means for Your Commute

By Westlands Connect in Events —
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Waiyaki Way Is Closing Between GTC and Kempinski for a Month, Here's What It Means for Your Commute
Photo by Danny Burke / Unsplash

Westlands commuters have another road closure to plan around. The Kenya National Highways Authority has announced a partial, month-long closure of Waiyaki Way's Mombasa-bound lanes between the Global Trade Centre and Villa Rosa Kempinski, and it lands on top of construction that's already been disrupting the same corridor since June.

The Facts

In a notice dated July 24, 2026, and signed by KeNHA Director General Eng. Luka Kimeli, the authority confirmed the Mombasa-bound carriageway of Waiyaki Way (the A8 Road) between GTC and Kempinski will be partially closed from Friday, July 31, to Monday, August 31, 2026. KeNHA has described the works as necessary highway maintenance, focused on the road surface and drainage along one of the city's most heavily used corridors.

This is a partial closure, not a full shutdown. Motorists will still be able to pass through the section using the remaining open lanes and service roads, with traffic marshals and police deployed on site to manage flow throughout the works.

It's Not the Only Closure on Waiyaki Way Right Now

Worth knowing before you plan around this one: it isn't happening in isolation. A separate, already-underway closure has affected the Nakuru-bound carriageway between Karuna Close and Westlands Roundabout since June 25, running through September 25, to allow extension of the pedestrian footbridge near Dunhill Towers and construction of a new footbridge connecting Fogo Gaucho and QuickMart Westlands. That means for most of August, Waiyaki Way will have active roadworks disrupting both directions of travel simultaneously, on two different sections of the same road.

Both projects sit under the same broader initiative: a Ksh 4.5 billion capacity enhancement and beautification programme covering the road network between JKIA and ABC Place in Westlands, being carried out by the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The programme is essentially finishing the job of restoring and modernizing the lower road network that took a beating during the original Nairobi Expressway construction, a corridor we've covered in detail in Does the Nairobi Expressway Actually Increase Property Value?.

Who Actually Feels This

KeNHA and multiple outlets covering the notice have flagged more than ten estates and neighborhoods that rely on this stretch of road day to day: Westlands, Parklands, Kangemi, Mountain View, Kitisuru, Loresho, Kyuna, Spring Valley, Highridge, Muthangari, Lower Kabete, and parts of Riverside. Beyond the immediate neighborhood impact, Waiyaki Way is also the primary gateway linking Nairobi to the Rift Valley, so travelers using the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway for longer regional trips should expect knock-on delays too, not just commuters moving within the city.

Your Alternative Routes

KeNHA and local reporting have pointed to a handful of specific bypasses depending on where you're headed:

  • Lower Kabete Road is the most direct alternative for bypassing the GTC-Kempinski section itself.
  • Peponi Road offers another viable route around the affected Westlands stretch.
  • James Gichuru Road and Ring Road, Kileleshwa are the recommended path for anyone continuing toward Upper Hill, Kilimani, or Mombasa Road, effectively routing around the closure entirely rather than through it.
  • The remaining open lanes and service roads along Waiyaki Way itself stay usable throughout, since this is a partial closure rather than a full one.

Practical Advice for the Next Month

Give yourself real buffer time, especially during morning and evening peak hours, when even a partial lane reduction on a corridor this congested tends to back up well beyond the actual worksite. Carpooling or shifting travel slightly outside peak hours will help more than usual this month, given that two separate construction zones are now active on the same road at the same time. KeNHA has also asked motorists to follow its official channels for real-time updates as the works progress, since traffic management plans on projects like this one sometimes shift as construction advances.

If you have specific questions or run into an issue on site, KeNHA can be reached through its toll-free line, 0800-211-244, its customer care number, 0700 423 606, or by email at complaints@kenha.co.ke.

Normal traffic operations are expected to resume once maintenance work concludes on August 31, though anyone commuting through Westlands should plan for the overlapping footbridge construction to continue affecting the Nakuru-bound side of the road until late September.

Sources

  • The Kenya Times, "KeNHA Announces One-Month Closure of Waiyaki Way Between GTC and Kempinski"
  • Kenyans.co.ke, "KeNHA Announces Partial Closure of Waiyaki Way at GTC for One Month"
  • K24 Digital, "KeNHA announces temporary closure on section of Waiyaki Way"
  • The Star, "Part of Waiyaki Way to close for a month in roadworks"
  • Tuko.co.ke, "KeNHA Announces Partial Closure of Waiyaki Way for 30 Days, Gives Motorists Alternative Routes"
  • KDRTV, "KeNHA Shuts Down Section of Waiyaki Way for a Month as Maintenance Works Begin"
  • HUBZ Media, "KeNHA Announces One-Month Partial Closure of Waiyaki Way Between GTC and Kempinski"
  • Citizen Digital, "Section of Waiyaki Way in Westlands to be closed for three months - KeNHA announces"
  • Kenyans.co.ke, "KeNHA to Partially Close Waiyaki Way Near Westlands Roundabout for Three Months"