Security in place ahead of StanChart Marathon

Nairobi police commander Japhet Koome has said there will be increased security during the Standard Chartered Marathon on Sunday.

"We have laid strategies on how to secure that event. We are going to have both ground and air coverage," he said on Saturday.

Mr Koome added that a number of roads will be closed to guarantee the safety of the participants, urging residents to be patient.

Closure of roads for the 14th edition of the Marathon will inhibit access to the city centre through various routes.

ROADS
Sections of Mombasa Road, Haile Selassie Avenue, Lower Hill Road, Wangari Maathai Road, University Way, Museum Hill, Kenyatta Avenue, among others, will be closed from 4am Sunday and will not be open until 12.30pm.

The two dual-carriage highways touching Uhuru Park were scheduled for closure from Saturday midnight.

Mr Koome said that motorists using the affected roads will be diverted to alternative routes.

"We are doing that in good faith. It’s not in any way to punish them," Mr Koome said in Nairobi. "Our officers will be on the ground very early."

The police boss noted that all the blockage is expected to be cleared by 1pm.

INAUGURATION
Runners who will be competing in the full marathon start and finish at Haile Selassie Road outside the Railway Club.

Those running 10 kilometres start and finish at Uhuru Highway.

Those in the CEOs’ race start on Procession Way and finish on Haile Selassie Road outside the Railway Club.

And for the inauguration of Mr Kenyatta for his second term, a number of roads have been classified as maximum security areas or "red zones" to facilitate movement of visitors from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Kasarani Stadium.

Wangari Maathai Road will once again be affected, same as Mombasa Road and Museum Hill.

"In the red zone, we cannot allow anybody in breach of peace."