Governor Nassir has suspended cycling infrastructure works on Links Road as Bombolulu road diversions choke Mombasa traffic, with El Niño rains adding to the pressure.
If you've spent the last few weeks stuck bumper-to-bumper along Mombasa's roads wondering when it will end, Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has just made one move to try and ease the pain.
The Governor has ordered the temporary suspension of ongoing cycling infrastructure works along Links Road, one of the busiest and most commercially active roads in the Mombasa North Coast region. The decision, announced on September 7, is a direct response to worsening gridlock across the city that has left motorists stranded for hours on end.
The root of the problem sits at Bombolulu, along the Mombasa-Malindi Road. Ongoing construction works there have forced traffic onto alternative routes, and Links Road — already one of the busiest arteries on the North Coast — has been absorbing much of the overflow.
"Following the recent upsurge in traffic congestion across Mombasa, occasioned largely by the diversion of traffic from the Bombolulu section of the Mombasa-Malindi Road during the ongoing construction works," Governor Nassir stated.
The Bombolulu section isn't just a local headache. It's a critical economic and transit bottleneck on the Mombasa-Malindi Road, and it forms part of the wider East African Coastal Road Corridor — the route that underpins cross-border trade links between Kenya and Tanzania. When Bombolulu slows down, the ripple effects move through Mombasa's entire road network.
With traffic volumes surging citywide, the county has decided the cycling infrastructure works on Links Road — which had been ongoing as part of the road's six-month KURA-led closure and redevelopment — will have to wait.
"We have consequently recommended the temporary suspension of the cycling infrastructure works along Links Road. This will allow the road to accommodate the increased traffic volumes and ease movement while the diversion remains in effect," the Governor added.
In practice, that means more road space for cars, matatus, and trucks navigating the diversion, at least until the Bombolulu works are complete and traffic patterns normalize.
The timing isn't only about the Bombolulu diversion. Nassir's decision also factors in the anticipated El Niño rains expected to hit the Coast region.
"We have reviewed the prevailing traffic situation and the additional risks posed by the anticipated El Niño rains," the Governor said.
That concern isn't hypothetical. Mombasa has officially been flagged as a high-risk urban center for severe flooding and storm surges as El Niño approaches, according to risk mapping from the National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC) and the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA). Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu, and Kwale have also been named among the most vulnerable counties. For a city already struggling with congestion, heavy rains could turn delays into full-blown gridlock — and in low-lying sections, flooding on top of it.
County authorities say they are now working with national road agencies and traffic enforcement authorities to improve traffic flow and cut down on disruption while the Bombolulu works continue. The goal, officials say, is to minimize the impact on motorists, businesses, and residents for as long as the diversion remains necessary.
For now, Links Road's cycling lane project is on pause — not cancelled, but shelved until the city's roads can absorb both the ongoing construction and the rains on the horizon.