Safari Rally 2026: KeNHA issues traffic advisory, lists alternative routes to Naivasha

Activities during cars preparation at the 2026 WRC Safari Rally Kenya Service Park at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha on March 11, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has warned motorists to brace for disruptions on key roads as the Safari Rally takes over Naivasha from March 12 to 15.

The rally, the third leg of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), will affect movement along major highways, with KeNHA advising road users to use alternative routes to avoid gridlock.

Truck drivers face the sternest warning: park at undesignated locations on the highway and face immediate arrest.

KeNHA outlined four alternative routes for motorists. The scenic route runs through Nairobi, Rironi, Magumu Flyover, Njambini, Ol Kalou, Dundori and Lanet.

The adventure route goes through Nairobi, Rironi, Naivasha, Engineer, Ol Kalou, Dundori and Lanet. Motorists can also use the Thika Trial, which runs through Nairobi, Thika, Magumu, Ol Kalou, Dundori and Lanet, or the Suswa shortcut via Nairobi, Ngong, Suswa, Narok and Nakuru.

The advisory compounds an already difficult situation on the Mai Mahiu-Suswa-Narok (B7) Road, where silt deposits at Kedong Ranch near Suswa have left sections impassable following heavy rains.

"KeNHA wishes to notify motorists that earlier today the Mai Mahiu-Suswa-Narok (B7) Road experienced flooding and deposition of silt at Kedong Ranch near Suswa," the authority said, directing affected motorists to use the Ngong-Suswa Road as an alternative.