Heavy traffic was witnessed on Nairobi’s Ngong Road on Wednesday morning as matatu operators staged a protest over police brutality.

The matatu operators apparently blocked Junction Mall Roundabout barring other road users, a situation that led to traffic snarl-up.

The operators complained of extortion by police officers whom they allege demand bribes daily. They claim they have to pay bribes at least 5 times.

Ngong Road is a busy highway that links Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) with Ngong Town in the neighbouring Kajiado County.

As the protest unfolded, police engaged the angry protesters in an attempt to restore normalcy along the busy stretch with motorists reporting experiencing a hard time getting to Nairobi.

Videos depicted motorists heading to work stuck in heavy traffic that snaked its way from the Junction Mall all the way to Karen roundabout.

Ngong Road users were advised to take alternative routes of Matasia, Kiserian and Rongai routes.

The protest comes as the Matatu Movement Kenya on Sunday last week called for a nationwide strike alleging exploitation by insurance companies and auctioneers.

The traffic department was yet to issue a statement by the time of publishing this article.

Notably, this is not the first time the matatu operators have blocked the road over allegations of extortion by the men in blue.

In 2023, the operators had protested over the same concerns of alleged extortion by traffic police. However, it seems their grievances were not addressed.

Motorists have perennially cited extortion by the police as one of the major challenges they experience on Kenyan roads.