The section of the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway where 13 people perished in a tragic road accident last Friday has been termed a death trap by road safety officials.
They revealed that in less than three months, over 30 people have lost their lives, with many others suffering serious injuries at the notorious Salgaa stretch.
The latest accident, which occurred on the morning of March 14, involved a trailer colliding with a matatu, killing all its occupants.
Road safety officials who visited the scene described the road as narrow and dangerously positioned between a concrete wall and a massive gulley.
Led by Edward Gitonga, Chairman of the Speed Governors and Road Safety Association and David Kiarie of the Road Safety Association of Kenya, the officials blamed poor road design and negligence by relevant authorities for the frequent fatalities.
They accused road agencies of ignoring the deadly stretch, despite repeated warnings.
Gitonga urged the government to take immediate action by filling the gulley with rocks and leveling the surface as a temporary measure while working on widening the road for a long-term solution.
He called on the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to act swiftly to curb the rising road carnage.
John Mutisya, Secretary General of the Speed Governors Association, noted that since December last year, at least three fatal accidents have occurred at the same spot, including a Coast Bus Service crash that claimed 17 lives, a Nucleus matatu accident and now the latest tragedy, bringing the death toll to over 30.
He criticized NTSA for failing to enforce road safety measures and urged urgent intervention to prevent more loss of life.
Kiarie, on his part, blamed NTSA’s leadership for incompetence and called on President William Ruto to disband its management board, starting with the Director General.
He emphasized that mere talk will not solve the crisis, urging authorities to take decisive action against the “accident monster” before more lives are lost.
