'Nairobians' flock Nakuru and Naivasha to escape city disruptions

U.S. President Barack Obama’s motorcade travels along Uhuru Higway after he arrived in Kenya's capital Nairobi to begin his three-day state visit, July 24, 2015. [Photo/Elvis Ogina/STANDARD]

 

Some Nairobi residents have flocked Nakuru and Naivasha towns to escape the inconveniences expected with the arrival of US President Barrack Obama for the Global Entrepreneur Summit (GES) 2015.

 

The announcement that five major roads will be temporarily closed this weekend, between yesterday and tomorrow, during Obama’s visit, made many city dwellers want to get away.

Mombasa Road (from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) towards the city centre), Uhuru Highway, Waiyaki Way, Limuru Road and Thika Superhighway are the major roads affected.

Although Friday was not a public holiday, some businesses and learning institutions in Nairobi gave staff and students the day off in anticipation of traffic disruptions and the resultant inconvenience.

Yesterday hotels, camping sites and other entertainment spots in the two towns in Nakuru County were expecting large numbers of guests and revellers who had made bookings for the weekend.

Traffic along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway started building up from yesterday afternoon as city residents travelled to the Rift Valley.

“We plan to spend the weekend in Nakuru because Nairobi will be congested. I realised there was nothing I could do in the city for the three days because my work is mainly within the central business district, which suspected it would be affected by the security and traffic arrangements,” said Anthony Njoroge who operates a car hire cum taxi business.

Tourist attractions

In Nakuru, hotel owners said they had recorded increased bookings in the past week as guests sought a place to spend the weekend.

Kevin Kagwe, the managing director of Chester Hotel and Hillcourt Resort and Spa, said many of the guests were from Nairobi but he could not tell whether they were escaping the inconvenience in the city or were just on a weekend outing.

“President Obama’s visit is good for the hospitality industry, which had taken a beating from travel advisories,” Kagwe said.

Ernest Muibu, one of the directors of Carnation Group of Hotels, also said they had received an unprecedented number of bookings in their establishments in Nakuru.

A large number of bookings from Nairobi-based guests were also recorded in Naivasha, popularly known as the ‘second coast’ thanks to its lakeside location and scenic sites.

Crayfish Hotel chief executive Peter Mehta said weekend bookings had risen sharply compared to other months.

“We have suffered immensely due to the travel alerts but we expect the US President’s visit to change things and give the sector a major boost,” he said.

The sentiments were echoed by Kamau Njuguna, the chairman Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Nakuru County.

He said that due to its proximity to Nairobi, the town expected to attract both local and international visitors due to the various tourist destination sites.

“Though the US president won’t be coming to Naivasha, we expect part of the entourage and other Kenyans to visit some of the tourist sites in this town,” he said.