Ngata stretch shows worrying trend as dualling plans stall
Road users look at the wreckage of a matatu that was involved in a grisly road crash at Eveready round about on December 31, 2023.
As the new year starts with a happy beginning and a hope for better prospects in the coming months, for some, the year began on a sad note.
Nakuru for the better part of last year was in the news for the many road crashes that occurred on its roads.
As if the county had not seen enough in terms of the road carnage in the 11-month period, as the year drew to a close and we began the new year, the status quo seemed to have been maintained with eight lives being lost.
On December 30, 2023, Comedian David Oyando, popularly known as Mulamwa, was a victim when he luckily escaped with his life at the infamous Ngata blackspot along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
Then came December 31, 2023, on Sunday morning at around 8 a.m, the Eveready round about became a no go zone for most after a gruesome incident claimed seven lives living 12 others with serious injuries.
Early yesterday morning at around 5 a.m at the Mustard area along Nakuru - Eldoret highway, a road crash involving four cars; 3 Isuzu motor vehicles and a Mercedes Benz trailer was witnessed.
This time, one life was lost and several others injured.
This seems to be a sad trend even with the promise of a dual carriage along this treacherous route yet to be achieved.
In the meantime, the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) erected signposts indicating that the stretch is a black spot. A speed limit of 50km per hour is also in effect for motorists driving from Nakuru towards Salgaa.
The highway has also been dug on the shoulders indicating plans to dual the stretch as promised by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.