Dual all killer roads, road safety officials demand

The road safety lobbies have demanded that the Nakuru- Eldoret highway that continues to claim lives be expanded into a dual carriageway as a permanent solution to the rising carnage.

Officials of the safety groups want the government to implement a recommendation they had made earlier asking that the entire Nairobi – Mau Summit road be upgraded to create four lanes and additional climbing lanes at steep stretches.

Speaking today after visiting the scene of the grisly road carnage involving a trailer and a matatu that claimed fourteen lives at Salgaa black spot, Edward Gitonga, the Chairman Speed Governors and Road Safety Association, his Secretary General John Mutisya and the Chairman of Road Safety Association of Kenya David Kiarie, the trio demanded that all profiled killer roads be dualled.

Gitonga further revealed that the trailer was not fitted with a speed-check gadget as required by law and asked law enforcement officers to act tough on those who bend the law.

They also disclosed that all those who perished in the 3 am accident at Migaa on Friday, March 14, 2025 were crushed by a container that detached from the trailer on impact after hitting a concrete wall in the middle of the road and rolled.

Members of two safety lobbies who also visited the Molo police station where the vehicle wreckages were taken, noted that the container rolled for about 100 meters downhill, in the process flattening the driver’s cabin and crushing a matatu in front.

The truck driver died on the spot, along with all the 13 occupants of the Kitale Shuttle matatu that was heading to Nairobi from Kitale.

Police said the driver of the trailer which was transporting coffee from Uganda lost control after the brakes failed as it was going downhill and hit the matatu.

The road safety experts now blame the tragedy on government’s failure to address concerns raised over the state of the road, pointing accusing fingers at National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

“We have evidence that the killer trailer was only fitted with a tracker system and not a peed check gadget. We also suspect it did not even undergo inspection as required of all commercial vehicles,” Gitonga told journalists.

Terming the road stretch as a death trap, the road safety officials observed that the section where the accident occurred is narrow and sandwiched between a concrete wall and a huge gulley on the left side and leaves drivers with no room for maneuver.

They noted that in less than three months, more than 30 people have lost their lives and many more suffered grievous injuries at the black spot area on a steep and lengthy road decline.

Gitonga also said the concrete barrier separating the road was risky as it is made of blocks merely placed on the surface rather than a permanent structure with a firm foundation.

“As a stop-gap measure, the government should fill the gulley with rocks and smoothen the surface even as plans should be put in place to widen the road as a permanent solution,

“The road demarcation should also be built permanently, not the temporary concrete blocks placed on the surface,” Gitonga said.

The official added that Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and NTSA must act swiftly to check the runaway road carnage.

John Mutisya the Speed Governors Association Secretary General said since December last year, at least three fatal accidents have occurred at the same spot, one involving a Coast Bus Service vehicle which claimed 17 lives, a Nucleus Shuttle matatu and now the recent one in which more than 30 lives have been lost.

“There have been three to four accidents recently and the pattern is the same. When drivers hit bumps erected at spot they tend to swerve to the right and knock the concrete embankment forcing the vehicle to veer left and overturn. This must be addressed urgently,” said Mutisya.

He told NTSA and other relevant bodies to stop paying lip service to road safety issues and confront the accident monster head-on.

“What we have witnessed at the scene is very disturbing and really sad. We have raised these in various meetings with the relevant offices. It is now time to roll their sleeves and act,” Mutisya added.

Kiarie on his part lay the blame on the NTSA leadership accusing it of incompetence and appealed to President William Ruto to send the Director General parking, right from the.

“I know the DG has been moving from senior government office to another seeking to have his term of six years which expires in November renewed. This should not be allowed at all,” charged Kiarie, claiming that road carnage has been at its highest peak during his tenure.

He also took issue with the Presidential motorcade that was involved in two fatal accidents during Ruto’s tour of Nairobi that left a British national and a policeman dead after being knocked down by the speeding vehicles.

“I have an issue with how these vehicles are driven recklessly and sadly end up causing death. The President should add his voice on this,” said Kiarie.