Interesting Nairobi Roads - Rose Avenue, Kilinani

Rose Avenue runs from Ngong Road to Dennis Pritt Road but unlike other roads it is not straight, in two sections you actually have to drive for a short while on other roads just to get back to Rose Avenue. You can see this in the map below, the route in blue is Rose Avenue from Dennis Pritt Road to Ngong Road.

https://goo.gl/maps/Rg1Wl

Rose Avenue is the location of a quite a number of interesting places including The Royal Thai Embassy, The National Spinal Injury Hospital, Maina's Barber and Classic Salon and three hotels namely The Waridi Paradise Apartment Hotel, The Monarch Hotel and The Best Western Premier. Rose Avenue is very popular with pedestrians because it cuts right through Kilimani. It would be more popular with motorists if those contracted would actually finish constructing Rose Avenue. Sections of it have been completed to the delight of those of us looking for shortcuts through Kilimani, however some sections make for a difficult driving experience. The section of Rose Avenue from Lenana Road to Jabavu Road had been left unfinished for the last two years but it looks like some attempt is finally being made to complete construction. The section of Rose Avenue from Arwings Kodhek Road to George Padmore Road is in the worst shape. Most of this section is still dirt and lots of rocks making for a very rough drive. I was curious who was responsible for constructing this section so I took a picture of the sign placed at this section. I don't understand why the contractor namely Ragot Ltd never completed construction.

Last month I wrote here about street lighting in Nairobi and its seems that the Nairobi County Government has decided that Rose Avenue finally deserves proper lighting. It looks like street lights have been installed in most sections of Rose Avenue but I won't be able to tell their success unless I drive through at night; which I plan to do in the near future. For those curious about daytime driving conditions of Rose Avenue take a look at a video I shot of my drive through Rose Avenue. I filmed my drive through Rose Avenue twice, once starting at 4:15pm from Dennis Pritt Road to Ngong Road and once again at 5:15pm using the same route. This was on the 30th January 2015.

    

In one part of the video I refer to construction debris left on the side of the road, this is on the section of Rose Avenue from Lenana Road to Jabavu Road. I thought that was from some work on the road but I now realize it must be from when the street lights were being installed. Hopefully the debris will be cleared soon so pedestrians can use the sidewalk instead of putting themselves in danger by walking on the road. I also mentioned a sign in the beginning of the video but now realize unlike the one on Arwings Kodhek Road, this sign refers to the contract issued by the Nairobi County Government to install street lights on Rose Avenue. Hope you enjoy the video and find it informative.

UPDATE : 3rd March 2017

I have taken down the video because Rose Avenue has been repaired over the past year and apart from the section near Kilimani Police Station the road is okay.