Commuters in the city have spent hours in traffic today following the closure of major roads in the Central Business District (CBD), to facilitate the movement of delegates attending the Tokyo international conference on African development (TICAD), which will be hosted at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on 27-28 August 2016.

Kenya has become the first African country to host the TICAD summit, which is being held outside Japan for the first time since its inception in 1993. Japan has hosted the conference the last five events.

“It is indeed a great honour and privilege for Kenya and Africa, in general, to host the first ever TICAD Summit in the continent. It is a major milestone and indeed a big boost towards achieving a more strategic partnership with Japan that we all desire,” as posted on the TICAD website.

The summit is expected to attract 35 heads of state from Africa and 10,000 delegates.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed says the conference is key in the country’s economic development.

ROADS CLOSED

Popular Matatu terminus, Kencom, is one of the areas which have been closed, creating a mess in the city center. Other roads closed include Standard Street, Parliament Road, Taifa Road, Harambee Avenue and City Hall Way.

The Nairobi traffic department has directed all heavy commercial vehicles trailers and articulated vehicles, bound for Rift Valley to use the Southern bypass to access their preferred destinations.

Ma3Route ‏: 11:59 Limuru road is bad. You can even walk faster to town and come back to find the mat where you alighted from. Via @martoleo

“I have spent almost two hours on Limuru rd to the CBD,” Annitah

“It took us 30minutes from ambassador to railways,” Lucille.