Police reopen Southern Bypass after roadblocks ahead of Gachagua rally

Burning tyres used to block a section of the Southern Bypass in Kikuyu Constituency on Saturday morning. Police later moved in to restore order.

Police moved in on Saturday morning to restore order after sections of the Southern Bypass and nearby roads in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, were blocked by unidentified groups ahead of a planned rally by Rigathi Gachagua.

Traffic was disrupted at Thogoto and Gitaru after the groups lit bonfires using tyres and placed trailers across the road, paralysing movement along the busy highway and affecting motorists travelling to and from Nairobi’s western corridor.

Witnesses reported heavy congestion, with spillover effects on feeder roads as some motorists were forced to turn back or seek alternative routes.

Security agencies were later deployed to the area and successfully cleared the barricades, allowing traffic flow to resume.

An officer involved in the operation confirmed that the situation had been contained and normal movement restored.