More speed barriers between Sachang’wan, Salgaa

The ride on Nakuru-Eldoret highway is set to get even slower this festive season as the government plans more speed barriers between Sachang’wan and Salgaa to curb accidents.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KenHA) has ordered the immediate construction of additional bumps and rumble strips on the accident-prone section. The barriers will be backed by road marking and signage, the agency said in a statement.

The notorious blackspot stretching 11 kilometres on the busy highway has claimed 150 lives through accidents that occurred this month alone.

“Preliminary investigations attribute the causes of these crashes to risk factors such as speeding, lane indiscipline, reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol,” KeNHA said in a joint statement with the National Police Service and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

KeNHA says it will, in the next seven days, issue a tender for the construction of three emergency railway truck rump, lorry brakes temperature checking points and holding yards along Kibunja-Salgaa section of the highway.

The campaign will also see the construction of a 10km truck climbing lane and widening of the risky Nyanja/Kamara Bridge.

In the long run, the joint statement says, the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit road will be dualled under the public private partnership contract. “The procurement of a contractor, to ensure that that entire road capacity and safety is improved, is going on.”

The highway’s notorious Sachang’wan blackspot was in the news again on December 12, scores of people lost their lives in a grisly accident. Police estimates the 17 lost their lives during the night incident although other sources say the number of fatalities could have been more.

The truck is shared by commercial trailers, passenger service vehicles and private cars.