Africa-Press – Kenya. Residents of Ngata area in Nakuru have decried the unabated road accidents in the area after a 10-year old was killed in an accident Sunday night.
The residents said temporary measures of erecting road signages along the Ngata Bridge stretch on Nakuru-Eldoret highway was vain because road crashes were still occurring resulting in fatalities.
The residents were protesting after a truck ferrying maize from Uganda hit two matatus and a Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) lorry before bursting into flames at about 9.30pm on July 9.
A resident, Titus Kogei, said the accident could have caused massive fatalities were it not for the brave driver who avoided a head-on collision with a matatu by steering the truck off the road.
“One of the trucks from the front was already on fire, it hit the three vehicles, rammed into guard rails and burst into flames,” he said.
Kogei said it was unfortunate that nothing had been done on that section of the road since December last year when 13 people perished in a road accident at the same spot.
“Cabinet secretary came here after that accident in December and ordered Kenya National Highway’s Authority (Kenha) to construct an additional lane and separate the flow of opposing streams of traffic with jersey barriers but nothing has been done to date,” he said.
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen promised that the additional lane and jersey barriers would be complete by April this year even as the entire stretch from Lironi to Mau Summit awaits dueling.
The CS outlined short-term measures the ministry was looking to undertake urgently to stop further loss of lives at the black spot which includes erecting ‘Observe Lane Discipline’ road signs on the stretch.
On Monday, the residents said the road signs were not helping alleviate the situation while some of them had been vandalised the metals and sold them to scrap metal dealers.
They asked Murkomen and Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika to immediately construct the additional lane and erect the jersey barriers.
Nakuru Town West subounty police commander Francis Wahome said all those who were injured in Sunday night’s accident had been treated and discharged.
He said it was unfortunate the minor died as he was undergoing treatment at the Rift Valley General Hospital.
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