There are major works underway affecting the road system between Mombasa and Malindi. The doubling of the lanes of the highway that, according to a project financed by the World Bank and African Development Bank, will unite the town of Bagamoyo in Tanzania precisely with Malindi.
The scope and progress of the work can already be seen in Kilifi County, specifically from the town of Mtwapa on the outskirts of the county capital, to Mnarani just before the bridge.
With the arrival of the first rains, however, not everything has been properly studied at the table and the numerous detours risk turning into a quagmire that on yesterday, Sunday, blocked several vehicles, mainly large trucks, clogging traffic for hours. On one occasion, bulldozers had to work to widen a section of the road and get through the two-way queues that had formed.
This is also the tail end of the tourist season, and many longtime residents and vacationers in Malindi, Watamu and Mambrui are preparing to leave with return destination Italy.
Except for those who have an intercontinental departure from Nairobi and will therefore take the domestic flight to Malindi, others are left with no option but to drive to Mombasa. Remind everyone that the detours and possible inconveniences begin a few kilometers before the detour that leads to Mazeras and from there to the airport (i.e., the new "ring road" that avoids the traffic in Mombasa and its suburbs), and there are no alternative routes of any kind. So it pays to move a few hours in advance to make sure you reach the Mombasa airport on time. Or, to be even more sure of not missing the plane (and for those who can and want to afford it), leave the day before and stay in a hotel in Mombasa.