Nairobi Jamhuri Day Traffic Diversions Dec 12, 2025
Key points
- Nairobi Jamhuri Day traffic diversions run around Nyayo National Stadium from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on December 12, 2025
- Aerodrome and Wakihuri Road will be closed and a section of the Nairobi Expressway between Capital Centre and Bunyala Road will be closed
- Traffic from Lang'ata Road toward the CBD will be diverted via Madaraka Roundabout toward Lusaka Road
- Nairobi Expressway users from Westlands must exit at Bunyala Road and users from Mlolongo must exit at Capital Centre
- Airport transfers, cross town tours, and bus depot runs should expect delays as traffic spills onto surface roads near the stadium
Impact
- Where Delays Are Most Likely
- Expect the worst holding near Nyayo National Stadium, along detour corridors to Lusaka Road, and on streets feeding Expressway exits at Bunyala Road and Capital Centre
- Best Times To Travel
- If you can move outside the core parade window, aim for early departures before the 7:00 a.m. controls or postpone cross town trips until after mid afternoon
- Connections And Misconnect Risk
- Same day transfers between Nairobi hotels and flights at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or domestic departures at Wilson Airport carry higher misconnect risk
- What Travelers Should Do Now
- Add a conservative buffer, confirm pickup points with drivers and operators, and keep a live navigation app open in case police shift detours in real time
Nairobi Jamhuri Day traffic diversions will slow airport transfers and cross town trips in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 12, 2025, as police implement a time bound traffic control plan around Nyayo National Stadium. The tightest impact will hit travelers trying to move between the central business district and the south and east approaches, including visitors heading for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) or Wilson Airport (WIL). Travelers should leave earlier than normal, add a generous buffer, and be ready to reroute away from the Nairobi Expressway if an exit or surface approach backs up.
The Nairobi Jamhuri Day traffic diversions matter because the plan includes both surface road closures and a Nairobi Expressway closure segment near the stadium, which can push large volumes of traffic onto fewer parallel streets, even if flights and airport operations remain normal.
Nairobi Jamhuri Day Traffic Diversions And Times
Police announced that restrictions will run from 700 a.m. to 300 p.m. East Africa Time (EAT) on Friday, December 12, 2025, centered on Nyayo National Stadium and the roads that feed it. In practical terms, that window captures a large share of typical hotel checkout movements, morning tours, business appointments, and mid day airport runs. Travelers should also expect that traffic friction can begin earlier than the official start as vehicles stage for security checks and parking management near the venue.
Capital FM reported that stadium gates open as early as 5:00 a.m., a signal that some pre event movements and parking controls may start building congestion before the main diversion window.
What Is Closed And Where Detours Go
The core closures include Aerodrome and Wakihuri Road, plus a section of the Nairobi Expressway between Capital Centre and Bunyala Road. Those specific cut points matter for travelers because they affect both the fast cross town option on the Expressway and the local streets that many drivers use to reach hotels, offices, and pickup points near the stadium and the CBD edge.
Police also specified the main detour logic for one of the most common approaches, traffic using Lang'ata Road toward the CBD will be diverted through Madaraka Roundabout toward Lusaka Road. If your driver normally uses Lang'ata Road as a reliable connector, especially for trips tied to domestic flights at Wilson or for museum and park area itineraries, expect longer drive times and more stop and go traffic where detours merge back into regular flows.
For Expressway users, the advisory is blunt and operational, vehicles on the Nairobi Expressway coming from Westlands must exit at Bunyala Road, and vehicles coming from Mlolongo must exit at Capital Centre. That means you should plan for a slower final leg on surface streets after you leave the Expressway, and you should assume that rideshare estimates can be optimistic during the peak period because the routing options are constrained by the mandated exits.
How This Can Affect Airport Transfers
Travelers often underestimate Nairobi disruption days because the airports can operate normally while the city access routes do not. For international departures from Jomo Kenyatta, the risk is not only the drive time, but also the cascading effect of arriving later to check in, clear security, and handle any document checks, especially if you are checking bags or traveling as a group.
For Wilson departures, the risk is sharper for safari and regional hops because many itineraries rely on tight pickup windows, and because a delayed drive can translate into a missed check in cutoff rather than a simple late arrival at the gate. If you have a same day transfer between Wilson and Jomo Kenyatta, treat it as a high risk connection on December 12, 2025, because the stadium area controls sit in the general orbit of routes many drivers use for south side and CBD adjacent movements.
Practical Routing Expectations By Trip Type
If you are traveling from west and northwest hotel districts toward the CBD, and your driver typically uses the Nairobi Expressway for a fast approach, expect to be pushed off at Bunyala Road and then work through surface streets, where congestion can compound quickly near major junctions.
If you are approaching from the southeast side and you would normally stay on the Expressway deeper into town, expect to exit at Capital Centre instead, and then continue on surface streets for the rest of the trip. That reroutes time onto streets where traffic lights, pedestrian activity, and localized controls can add variability that is hard to predict in advance.
If you are using Lang'ata Road toward the CBD, the Madaraka Roundabout to Lusaka Road diversion is the key planning anchor. Confirm with your driver that they are aware of this diversion before pickup, because many navigation apps will attempt last minute shortcuts that are not usable when police are actively directing flows.
Background: Why A Stadium Event Can Break Citywide Timing
Background A one day national event at a major venue tends to create citywide impacts because policing priorities shift from throughput to perimeter control, and because the road network gets less resilient when even one high capacity corridor is partially removed. When the Nairobi Expressway segment near Nyayo National Stadium is restricted, vehicles that would normally move quickly across town are forced onto surface streets that already carry local traffic, which is why delays can spread beyond the immediate closure blocks.
What Travelers Should Do Next
For flights, long distance buses, and prepaid tours on December 12, 2025, the simplest rule is to separate "normal Nairobi drive time" from "event day Nairobi drive time." For most travelers, that means adding at least 60 to 90 minutes to cross town moves, and more if you must pass near Nyayo National Stadium, the CBD edge, or a mandated Expressway exit during the core window. If you have a critical airport run, ask your hotel to help align pickup timing, keep your phone reachable for driver updates, and consider shifting non essential appointments to the afternoon after controls lift.
If you want more Nairobi ground transport context, see our Kenya destination hub at https://adept.travel/destinations/kenya, plus related coverage on recent Kenya movement friction events such as https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-07-kenya-ride-hail-apps-switch-off and https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-03-kenya-floods-and-landslides-hit-travel.