World Bank pulls out of Salgaa project

Newly erected road signs along Salgaa Sachang'wan stretch along Nakuru Eldoret highway that have reduced number of accidents. {Photo: Boniface Thuku/Standard]

Nakuru, Kenya: A small stretch of dusty, and sometimes muddy, highway located some 27 kilometres west of Nakuru town has over the years made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

From illegal sex trade, road accidents to residents siphoning oil with careless abandon, Salgaa has seen it all.

When truck drivers and their assistants made Salgaa their stopover, hotels, bars and shops quickly sprang up.

But despite being one of the key revenue earners for the Nakuru County government, Salgaa has nothing much to show for itself in terms of infrastructure.

Being the gateway to Western Kenya and Uganda, whatever happens at Salgaa has a ripple effect on these regions.

Over a decade ago, the World Bank agreed to fund a Sh1.3 billion modern parking bay for long distance trailers and oil tankers. But the project was shelved after some landowners went to court to block it.

But according to Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), the World Bank has pulled out of the Sh1.2 billion special off-road parking bay project.

This means motorists and residents are once again at the mercies of oil tankers and trucks dangerously parked on the road.

Documents seen by The Standard indicate the parking bay would have accommodated 200 heavy trucks and 100 cars.

The parking space was to sit on a 12.5-acre parcel and comprise other facilities like a modern market to accommodate retail traders, wholesalers and itinerant traders.

It was also supposed to see the tarmacking of the the two-kilometre Salgaa-Elburgon road, and several roads within the trading centre.

Project Co-ordinator (Special Projects) David Muchilwa said a case filed by 13 landlords against the Ministry of Roads was the reason behind the cancellation of the project.

Mr Muchilwa, who communicated the decision through KeNHA Corporate Affairs Manager Charles Njogu, said currently there were no plans for such a project in future at Salgaa.

"That one was shelved after donors pulled out. It is no longer there," he said yesterday. The Salgaa off-road parking bay was part of the Sh2.7 billion rehabilitation of the Njoro-Mau-Summit-Timboroa road contract No: RD-0420.

RAMPANT ACCIDENTS

Former President Mwai Kibaki had directed the establishment of parking bays for truckers following rampant road accidents that were, to some extent, attributed to the parking of trucks on roadsides.

Salgaa has been labelled a black spot due to numerous accidents that have occurred there in past years.

The stretch between Salgaa and Kibunja trading centre is a notorious black spot that has claimed hundreds of lives in road carnage, mostly caused by long-distance truckers.

Residents and motorists using the highway have complained over the haphazard parking of lorries and oil tankers on the road, and also of poor infrastructure at the trading centre.

"It is still dangerous to have lorries lining up an important section of the road like Salgaa. That project would have helped in saving lives," he said.

Lorry drivers who spoke to the Standard yesterday said it was unfortunate the such an important project was cancelled.

"We have been looking forward to have a modern parking bay like what is in Mai-Mahiu town. It is unfortunate," said Musa Mohammed, a truck driver.

Court documents in our possession show some 13 landlords moved to court to seek determination on who would compensate them for land that would be taken over by the project.

Early this year, Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said the county government would together with KeNHA, undertake the construction of the off-road parking bay.