KeNHA to Demolish Coptic Roundabout in Kisumu Highway Upgrade

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will demolish the Coptic roundabout in Kisumu City as part of a major upgrade of the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, partially closing a section of road for 30 days to allow the works.

The authority said the Mamboleo-Kiboswa (A1) Road at Coptic roundabout will be partially closed from July 20 to August 18, 2026, to facilitate removal of the existing roundabout and reconstruction and realignment of the road section.

Normal operations are expected to resume once the closure period ends and the redesigned junction is completed, KeNHA said in its notice.

The Mamboleo-Kiboswa (A1) Road is a key transport corridor linking Kisumu to Kakamega and other parts of western Kenya, carrying thousands of commuters, public service vehicles and cargo trucks daily.

The Coptic roundabout has long been considered a black spot on the route, with several serious crashes recorded there over the years. One of the deadliest occurred on August 8, 2025, when a bus carrying mourners from a funeral in Nyahera back to Nyakach lost control while negotiating the corner, hit a speed hump at high speed, veered off the road and overturned, killing 26 people.

The authority urged motorists to exercise caution while driving through the area during construction, to obey all traffic signs, and to cooperate with police officers and traffic marshals deployed on site to manage the disruption.

The planned redesign forms part of a wider government push to upgrade the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, a route that has drawn scrutiny in recent years over its safety record at several junctions and black spots.