New nightmare for residents of Salgaa blackspot
Road signs warning of a black spot at the Kibunja-Salgaa stretch on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
After the accidents along the Salgaa blackspot subsided, residents of the Ngata bridge area along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway are now facing yet another nightmare: Pedestrians being knocked in hit-and-run accidents.
Commuters and pupils from the residential estates on the stretch experience horror while crossing the busy highway following numerous cases of residents being killed by speeding vehicles using the road.
The residents are now calling on the government to curb the new trend that is claiming lives.
Mr John Ndwiga the chairman of Nuru Estate Residents Association complained that the number of residents losing their lives on the highway has been on the rise in the recent past, something he said has given them a reason to worry.
Mr Ndwiga noted that they have lost three people on the stretch in three days.
The latest was Mr Billy Kisombe who was knocked and killed on Sunday night while crossing the highway on his way home.
In all the cases, the killer drivers, according to Mr Ndwiga, were not identified as they fled immediately after causing the accidents.
He complained that vehicles heading to Nakuru town from Salgaa speed down the stretch which has no bumps or signs to indicate speed limits.
“We have children and animals crossing the road every day but there are no road signs to indicate that. Drivers who compete for the three lanes do not observe road discipline as they even overtake each other on the wrong lanes,” said the chairman.
He appealed to the Kenya National Highways Authority to erect bumps along the stretch to safeguard the lives of the residents.
Mr Robinson Magerer, also a resident, complained that the five-kilometre stretch has no bus stops despite the many residential estates with people commuting to town.
He regretted that crews of matatus plying Ngata route pick and drop residents on the road putting their lives in danger.
“The accidents are rampant during the evening and morning hours as well as over the weekends,” said Mr Magerer.
