NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has launched a nationwide crackdown to rid footbridges and underpasses of hawkers and street families, citing safety concerns that have driven pedestrians back onto busy highways.
The authority said the encroachment has rendered many pedestrian facilities impassable, forcing people to dash across highways at undesignated points — a trend linked to rising road fatalities.
“Footbridges are designed to provide safe, efficient, and pleasant passage for pedestrians free from any obstacles. Unfortunately, most footbridges along the highways are now unfeasible to use due to encroachment by hawkers and street families,” KeNHA said in a statement.
The operation kicked off along the Ruiru–Thika stretch of the Thika Superhighway and will be extended to other major highways.
It will be conducted jointly with county governments, the National Government Administrative Officers, the National Police Service, the Axle Load Enforcement Unit, and KeNHA’s Corridor C team.
Officials noted that the exercise will not only involve removing encroachers but also cleaning the pedestrian facilities to restore their intended use.
“This compels pedestrians to cross in undesignated areas which has often resulted in tragic accidents,” the authority warned, adding that the clearance is part of a broader effort to protect road reserves and safeguard all road users.
The campaign comes amid renewed government efforts to reduce the country’s high rate of pedestrian deaths, with official data showing that pedestrians account for a large share of annual road crash fatalities.
