The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued a cautionary advisory to motorists in light of the heavy rains currently being experienced in the country.
Nairobi and several other parts of the country began receiving the rains Sunday evening.
The Kenya Meteorological Department forecasts that heavy rains will persist until Tuesday, March 11, with rainfall expected to exceed 20mm in a 24-hour period.
In a notice, the NTSA told the drivers to exercise heightened caution to ensure safety on the roads.
“Avoid flooded roads. What looks like a shallow puddle could be deeper and dangerous than it seems,” it said.
Major routes, including Thika road, Jogoo road, Mombasa road and Waiyaki way leading to Nairobi city centre experienced traffic snarl-up Monday morning due to the ongoing rains.
During such rainy seasons, these roads, among others across the country, are flooded, affecting the movement of vehicles.
In the past, there have been incidents of vehicles being swept away by the floods as drivers try to navigate their way.
The heaviest rainfall typically occurs during April across most parts of the country around the Easter holiday.
Kenya Met said the March to May period is the major rainfall season over most parts of Kenya and much of equatorial Eastern Africa.
The highest seasonal rainfall amounts of greater than 300mm are normally received over the Lake Victoria Basin, the Highlands West of the Rift Valley, the Central and South Rift Valley, the Highlands East of the Rift Valley (including Nairobi County) and the Coastal Strip.
Last week, the government said it has implemented measures to lessen the adverse effects of disasters and emergencies and allocated Sh40 million in the current financial year for this purpose.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, in his submissions to the Senate on Wednesday, said that the government will mobilise additional resources to complement the allocation should the need arise.
The CS was responding to a question by nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla on the level of state preparedness in countering drought and floods, given the devastation witnessed in the country in 2024 and the previous years following heavy rains.
