Mombasa road, or A109 road, is a major road that links Nairobi and the coastal town of Mombasa and covers a total of 470 km.
For majority of the distance until it gets to Mombasa, the road runs adjacent to the Nairobi-Mombasa Railway line. Apart from linking travellers to the two Kenyan major cities, the road plays a key role in trade and business by linking Mombasa sea port to landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Congo DRC. Therefore, the connection and efficiency of the road is very important for the economic growth in the East African region.
The road starts at Nyayo stadium roundabout and passes though middle class residential estates of Nairobi West, South-C, South B, Belle Vue among others, it acts as a major gateway to workers and students making their way to the Nairobi CBD.
Businesses along Mombasa road
There notable office establishments along Mombasa road include Capital Centre, Airtel Kenya Headquarters, Standard Group Centre, Sameer Business Park, and hotels such as Ole Sereni and Hilton Garden Inn, Panari Hotel, Java coffee house and others.
Mombasa road then passes through Athi River, Kapitiei Plains and Konza Technology City, these areas are mostly comprised of cattle ranches, with noticeable wild herbivores such the gazelle and antelopes. It passes through Kajiado with both sides of the road mainly under-developed up to Sultan Hamud town.
Down south is Emali town with a link road to second favourite park in Kenya, Amboseli National Park. And just south you will meet a tourist market mainly dominated by members of a Makindu Handicrafts Co-operative, offering variety hand curved designs made from wood carvings.
The road passes into more lush pastures, with Chyulu Hills becoming more visible as you approach Kibwezi town which is widely known for sisal and honey production. There is a B7 link road that goes up to Kitui Town.
Mtito Andei Town, halfway point between Nairobi and Mombasa
The road then passes mainly cultivated land until you reach Mtito Andei Town, which is about the halfway point between Nairobi and Mombasa. You will definitely want to stop at this point as you prepare to embark on the rest of the journey. The town is rather small and features a handful of hotels, petrol fill stations, shops, churches among others. The town also has an airstrip which serves visitors of the nearby national parks.
Mombasa road runs through two national parks: Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks. For about 80 km, both sides are occupied by grasslands and you might be lucky to witness wild animals like zebras crossing the road until you reach Voi Town.
Voi is the largest town in Taita Taveta county and also a municipality. From the history available, the Voi town grew from a small trading center between locals and Arabs, and today it is a rich market place for agricultural and meat products from Taita Hill and the surrounding areas. Hotels and Lodges are located on the suburbs of the town, with the central region mostly occupied by shops, markets, kiosks and few hotels.
From Voi, Mombasa road the runs through the Taru desert, an arid, scorched wilderness with little vibrancy. From here it is approximately 150 kilometers to Mombasa, you will first come across Samburu, then Maji ya Chumvi, Mariakani and Mazeras before you get to Mombasa. In Mombasa, the road is splits to several roads that link to various parts of the the Mombasa City.