Motorists in Nairobi are set for a difficult weekend on the roads after authorities announced extensive closures across major highways and city streets to allow the Nairobi City Marathon to take place, with key transport corridors, the central business district and access routes to the airport expected to be affected from Saturday night into Sunday afternoon.
According to a public notice, the road closures will begin at midnight on Saturday, June 6, 2026, and run through Sunday afternoon, June 7, disrupting movement across several parts of the city during the event period.
The Nairobi Expressway will be among the most affected routes, with traffic suspended in both directions between James Gichuru Road and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The closure on the expressway is scheduled to start at 10 pm on Saturday and continue until 3 pm on Sunday.
Sections of Waiyaki Way will also be impacted, with only inner lanes on both sides of the highway closed. The affected stretch runs from Nairobi School to the junction leading into the expressway.
Uhuru Highway will also be closed in both directions between Lusaka Roundabout and Museum Hill from midnight on Sunday until 4 pm, further affecting movement into and out of the city centre.
In the CBD, Kenyatta Avenue will not be accessible between Panafric Hotel and Moi Avenue during the same period, while Haile Selassie Avenue will be closed between Cathedral Road and Uhuru Highway. Other affected roads include Processional Way, City Hall Way, Simba Street and several surrounding streets within the city centre.
The restrictions have been introduced to provide a secure and uninterrupted route for thousands of runners expected to take part in the annual race, which has grown into one of the region’s major road running events.
Motorists have been advised to plan their journeys early and consider alternative routes, with warnings that access to the city centre and key destinations, including the airport and business districts, will be heavily disrupted.
The event has attracted strong participation across all categories. The 10km race remains the most popular, drawing 6,550 participants out of a total 17,450 registered runners. The full marathon (42km) has 1,750 participants, while the half marathon (21km) has 5,050 runners. The 5km family fun run has also attracted 4,100 participants.
Athletics Kenya competitions director Kennedy Tanui said interest in the 10km category continues to grow among city residents.
"The 10km race seems to be the favourite of the City Marathon," Tanui said.
He also noted that registration closed automatically once capacity was reached.
"Registration for this year's race was filled within three weeks. We did not close the application; it is the system that automatically closed registration because we had already attained the target number."