A roads safety agency is set to invest Sh450 million in a clinic on the Northern Corridor to help commercial vehicle drivers get medical services while on their journeys.
Pioneer Road Safety Consultants said the move will help reduce rampant road accidents, which claimed 2,214 lives in the nine months to September, according to data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
“We currently have one wellness centre in Maungu, in Taita-Taveta County but come February next year, we will be setting up one more in Salgaa,” said Pioneer Road Safety Consultants managing director Habel Amakobe.
“We feel that drivers operating between Mombasa and Nairobi are well catered for by our wellness centre in Maungu. However, we feel there is a gap for our drivers plying the Nairobi Malaba route.”
Mr Amakobe noted that apart from setting up one more wellness centre at Salgaa in the next two months, the agency is looking forward to establishing at least a medical centre at all its eight check points across the country.
The company currently has checkpoints at Maungu in Taita Taveta County, Masimba in Kajiado, salgaa in Nakuru County, and Kapsoit in Kericho County.
“We are in talks with the private investors to set up more clinics (wellness centres) at our checkpoints. The move is aimed at reducing rampant cases of road accidents in the country.”
Last December, 36 Kenyans lost their lives at Salgaa area along the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway.
This prompted the NTSA to impose a night travel ban for public service vehicles. The ban was later lifted by the High Court Judge Chacha Mwita.
The Salgaa accident involved a truck and bus and it happened at Migaa area around 3.30am. The bus was travelling towards Nakuru and according to witnesses, the driver left his lane and collided with an oncoming trailer.
This saw the Kenya National Highways Authority award a Sh750 million contract to a Chinese firm, China Railway No. 10 Limited to dual the 22-kilometre Sobea-Salgaa-Mau Summit road on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
The scope of the work includes construction of dual carriage way at the climbing lane section and separation of traffic, as well as installation of jersey barrier.
The design also provides for the construction of a lorry break checking point at the beginning of the 10-kilometre descend to check the braking systems of vehicles on the road.
The stretch will also be erected with road signs including both informatory and warning signs.
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