Traffic along Thika Road was brought to a standstill on Friday morning as protesting youths blocked sections of the highway, disrupting transport and sparking fears among motorists.

The unrest was reported around the Pangani section of the highway, where groups of youths allegedly blocked parts of the road, forcing motorists to seek alternative routes.

Witness reports shared with Kenyans.co.ke revealed that some of the suspected protesters were armed with machetes and other crude weapons as they marched along the busy road.

 

Footage showed heavy traffic building up as smoke rose from the roadside, with several people seen running while others moved between vehicles amid the chaos.

 

n aerial image of suspected goons blocking Thika Road at Pangani section on Friday, July 3, 2026.

An aerial image of suspected goons blocking Thika Road at the Pangani section on Friday, July 3, 2026. Photo

Videos and images of the scene also captured motorists cautiously navigating the affected stretch as tension gripped the area.

 

As tensions escalated, the rowdy youth, whose motive for demonstrating is yet to be clearly established, allegedly began pelting moving vehicles with stones, vandalising property and targeting passersby.

 

 

The disruption left hundreds of commuters stranded as traffic stretched for several metres along the highway, one of Nairobi’s busiest roads linking Nairobi to Kiambu County.

 

By the time of publication, the National Police Service (NPS) had not issued an official statement on the incident or confirmed whether any arrests had been made.

 

Similarly, reports of injuries, casualties and property damage remain unclear even as Kenyans took to social media to request police intervention on the incident.

 

The latest incident has renewed concerns over the use of organised criminals and goons to infiltrate protests, with motorists increasingly becoming targets of vandalism and theft in such situations.

 

 

It comes barely a fortnight after President William Ruto directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to execute a nationwide, indiscriminate crackdown on goons and their financiers.

 

Speaking on June 19, the Head of State accused a section of politicians, particularly those in the opposition, of allegedly sponsoring organised youth gangs to unleash terror on their political opponents and cause mayhem.