Several roads in Nairobi will be temporarily closed from midnight on Saturday ahead of the 2026 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon scheduled for Sunday, October 25.
Nairobi County Traffic Commandant Joseph Chirchir said about 30,000 participants, including 1,000 foreigners, are expected to take part in the annual race, prompting police to implement traffic diversions and deploy officers and marshals to ensure the safety of runners.
Speaking on the preparations, Chirchir said the Southern Bypass would be temporarily closed, with motorists directed to alternative routes depending on their direction of travel.
“We have about 30,000 participants, 1,000 of them being foreigners. Due to this, we will temporarily close the Southern Bypass and we will make several diversions,” he said.
Vehicles arriving from Mombasa will be diverted at Ole Sereni towards the Central Business District (CBD), while motorists coming from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) will be directed to Mombasa Road before proceeding towards the city centre.
Chirchir said motorists approaching Nairobi from Western Kenya through the Kikuyu Bypass would be diverted to James Gichuru Road, from where they would proceed towards the CBD and onward to Mombasa Road.
Vehicles from Lang'ata will not be allowed to join the Southern Bypass and will instead use Lang'ata Road towards the CBD.
Motorists travelling from Karen will also be barred from joining the bypass and will be directed through Dagoretti and Ngong Road before accessing the city centre.
The commandant said the diversions were necessary to provide a secure environment for the runners and minimise risks associated with the large number of participants expected on the roads.
“This arrangement will allow us to secure the safety of participants,” Chirchir said.
He added that adequate police officers, traffic marshals and traffic signals would be deployed to guide motorists and participants throughout the event.
Chirchir urged marathon organisers to ensure the race starts on time to allow the authorities to reopen the affected roads as scheduled.
“What we are asking the organisers is to start the race on time. By noon we will start opening the roads,” he said.
The commandant warned that participants would be expected to adhere strictly to their designated start times and follow the organisers' instructions.
He said runners who joined the race outside their allocated start times would not be allowed to continue wandering along the roads beyond the permitted period.
“Those participants who will be joining the race as not indicated in their start time, we will not allow them to wander along the roads until 2pm and beyond,” Chirchir said.
He added that the roads would be reopened by 2pm, subject to the traffic management arrangements.
The marathon is expected to draw thousands of runners and spectators, making traffic management a key part of preparations for the event.
Motorists have been urged to plan their journeys in advance, follow police instructions and use the designated alternative routes to minimise disruptions during the temporary closures.
