Salgaa black spot continues to claim lives, as government looks away

To an ordinary motorist, the hills of Salgaa might be hallmark of the Nakuru- Eldoret highway. Unknown to them, the hills also serve as an indication that you will soon be on the most dangerous section of the road.

The infamous 14 kilometer stretch between Salgaa town and Sachangwan every so often continue to hit news headlines with chilling accidents.

This is as Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) ,motorists and other road users trade frivolous accusations on who should shoulder the blame.

Just this year, so frequent and fatal has the blackspot claimed tens of lives. We take a look at some of the accidents witnessed in that stretch.

November 24, 2017

A commuter bus with 55 passenger from Kampala, Uganda is involved in a head on coalition with a trailer as it attempts to overtake at Salgaa blackspot.

The dawn accident leaves the driver of the bus dead with 10 other passengers critically injured.

Novermber 19, 2017

As the rest of the world marked World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Salgaa was at it again.

11 passengers and driver aboard a 14-seater shuttle die after the vehicle is involved in an accident at Teachers in Salgaa.

Rift Valley Traffic Enforcement Officer Zero Arome says the driver of the passenger vehicle hit an oncoming lorry when he tried to avoid hitting cows on the road.

Wreckage of the Matatu involved in a tragic accident at Teachers (Photo:Kipsang Joseph|Standard)

November 1, 2017

The Wednesday evening grisly accident involved 10 vehicles at the notorious black spot in Migaa.
Reports at the scene of accident indicate that a driver of a trailer lost control and ram into 9 other vehicles downhill.

6 lives were lost in the accident with scores others left injured.

July 30, 2017

An accident involving two personal cars, a truck and three trailers leave one dead. The Sunday night accident happened at around 9.30pm at Migaa near Salgaa on the busy Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

Eye witness account say that the trailer carrying bags of maize lost control of the vehicle before causing the accident.

Scene of the tragic road accident at Migaa (Photo:Kipsang Joseph|Standard)

July 24, 2017

A journey of 4 travelling from Nakuru to Eldoret would be cut short at Teachers near Salgaa Trading Center when a trailer hits their car.

Rongai OCPD Joseph Kioko would later owe the accident to overtaking recklessly. The accident left 3 occupants of the personal vehicle dead with the other seriously wounded.

April 22, 2017

In Ol Kalou in Nyandarau county, preparations for a dowry payment ceremony was in the offing. However, an accident at Sobea along the dreaded Nakuru- Eldoret highway left a family of five headed to the preparations dead.

The family was in a 11 seater shuttle belonging to Eldoret Crossroads Sacco when it collided with the truck as it tried to overtake.

“Two women and four children died on the spot during the 9pm accident. The injured were rushed to Nakuru Level Four Hospital,” Rongai police boss Japheth Kioko recounted at the scene.

Passenger vehicle used by the family of 6 (Photo:Kipsang Moses|Standard)

Whilst data from Transport Authority (NTSA) paint a reduction of road cargnages across the country, accidents continue to stalk Kenyans on this stretch. Data from NTSA also notes that most accidents happen during the festive period. A situation that begs for urgent and critical actions to the Salgaa killer road.