NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has issued a fresh ultimatum to traders operating along the busy Thika Superhighway, directing them to vacate sections of the road reserve or face enforcement action.
In a statement on Thursday, the highways authority said it had recirculated enforcement notices to traders occupying restricted zones along the highway at Delview, Kihunguro, and Allsops.
The notice was issued by KeNHA’s Corridor C Management team, led by Road Inspector Kennedy Karimi, warning that traders must clear the affected sections to allow restoration and protection of the road reserve.
“The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Corridor C Management team, led by Road Inspector Kennedy Karimi, has recirculated the vacation from road reserve enforcement notices to traders operating within the road reserve along the Thika Superhighway at Delview, Kihunguro and Allsops,” the authority said.
According to KeNHA, the renewed notice follows the lapse of a previous directive issued on February 23, 2026, which had given traders a specified period to vacate the encroached areas.
However, the authority noted that several traders had failed to comply even after the deadline expired.
“The traders are required to clear the areas to allow for the restoration and protection of the road reserve. However, some still remain within the restricted zones even after the deadline expired,” the statement added.
Road safety concerns
KeNHA said the enforcement exercise is part of broader corridor management efforts aimed at enhancing safety along one of Kenya’s busiest transport arteries linking Nairobi with satellite towns including Thika.
The authority warned that roadside trading within highway reserves exposes both traders and motorists to accidents while also obstructing traffic flow.
“The exercise forms part of the Authority’s ongoing road safety and corridor management initiatives aimed at reducing accidents along the busy highway corridor, enhancing order within road reserve areas, ensuring unobstructed traffic flow on national highways, and protecting infrastructure designated for highway operations and future expansion,” KeNHA said.
The authority added that it will proceed with clearing illegal structures if traders continue to defy the directive.
“Should non-compliance persist, the Authority will proceed with the clearance and removal of illegal structures within the road reserve in accordance with highway management regulations,” the statement warned.
Roysambu demolitions
The warning comes a day after KeNHA carried out demolitions targeting structures erected within the road reserve at Roysambu along the Thika Superhighway.
Excavators flattened roadside stalls on the night of Wednesday, March 4, after traders failed to vacate following the expiry of an earlier eviction notice.
Images and videos circulating online showed heavy machinery pulling down the makeshift structures lining the highway.
In a notice dated January 9, KeNHA had instructed traders operating along the Roysambu section — in both directions — as well as the Githurai Nairobi-bound lane to remove their goods from the road reserve within seven days.
The authority said the clearance is intended to create space for the construction of bus bays to improve public transport operations and ease congestion along the highway.
Infrastructure protection
The enforcement measures reflect increasing efforts by road agencies to reclaim road reserves across major highways in Kenya, amid concerns that encroachment undermines infrastructure safety and complicates future expansion projects.
Transport planners say maintaining clear road corridors is critical for highway maintenance, emergency response access and planned infrastructure upgrades in the rapidly expanding Nairobi metropolitan area.
KeNHA urged affected traders to comply with the directive to avoid forced removal as the authority intensifies enforcement along the Thika Superhighway corridor.
