Illegal road bumps a risk to motorists

A loaded vehicle is driven over an illegally erected bump on Eldama Ravine-Poror road in Baringo County. [Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

Illegal road bumps are a hazard to motorists and authorities have warned those who erect them that they risk one-year jail term.

Mr Charles Obuon, the acting Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHa) director-general, said the Kenya Roads Act, 2007, prohibits any unauthorised construction on the roads or highways, and anybody who contravenes the law is liable for punishment.

“Section 49(1) of the Act states that no person may erect, construct or lay or establish any structure or other thing on or over the surface of a road reserve. Anyone who contravenes this requirement is liable to an imprisonment term of one year or a fine not exceeding Sh100,000 or both,” he explained.

The official of KeNHA, a body charged with constructing and managing national trunk roads, said the erection of illegal speed bumps on key roads in most parts of the country posed a danger to motorists and pedestrians.

Mr Obuon disclosed that the Nairobi-Naivasha Highway has been the hardest hit.

Most notorious

“The stretch at Uplands and Kinungi are the most notorious and they last week caused a big traffic snarl-up on the highway. We removed the speed bumps at the two spots and others in different parts of the country,” he said.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) which has received some flak from Kenyans for being too quick to apprehend traffic offenders, is equally disturbed by the unauthorised speed bumps.

Last week, several motorists plying the Nairobi-Naivasha highway were nabbed by NTSA officials and police officers after they used alternative routes to avoid the traffic grid-lock caused by the bumps.

“Though our mandate is to ensure motorists and other road users adhere to the law, the long jams and slow flow of traffic especially on major highways caused by illegal bumps worries us,” said Dominic Kabiru, NTSA deputy director of corporate communications.

At Kinungi trading centre, located 15km from Naivasha town, is a black spot where residents claim many people have lost their lives. Protests by residents following accidents have been frequent.

Late last year, residents of the busy trading centre erected bumps to control the speed of motorists.

This led to running battles between the residents and riot police before the KeNHA gave in and agreed to erect speed bumps.

One of the leaders in Kinungi, James Kabono, claims that over 200 people, mainly minors, have died on the section of the road since it was constructed in 1982.

Naivasha MP John Kihagi says that at least one pedestrian is killed on the highway every week, mainly around Naivasha.

He says that plans are under way to erect footbridges in black spots to reduce the number of deaths.

And on January 2, 2016, Kiruga Thuku led residents of Chinga Ward in Othaya sub-county in putting up 10 speed bumps on the Kiriti-Gachie-Mucharage road.

Residents held protests claiming that despite the tarmacked roads in their area spurring development within the shopping centres, speeding motorists had turned markets into black spots.

Speed bumps

“I requested for local leaders and all the relevant authorities to put up speed bumps near the schools and markets but they took too long, and so I took matters into my own hands,” Thuku explained.

Thuku was temporarily arrested for illegally putting up speed bumps in the area.

Kenya Rural Roads Authority Mt Kenya Region Manager James Kabiru said it is illegal for Kenyans to erect bumps on the road.

Elsewhere, motorists in Kakamega County protested over accidents caused by illegal bumps and abandoned road works.

There are no signs warning of the bumps, which are substandard and erected in almost every major road in Western region.

At Mwitoti along Mumias-Kakamega road, four illegal bumps were erected after a vehicle killed two people.

Locals said they erected the bumps to prevent vehicles from speeding.

“We decided to erect the bumps after we lost our kin. Vehicles usually speed at this point and we may lose more people to accidents if the issue is not looked into,” said Hamisi Waswa.

Nonetheless, motorists have also raised concerns over the bumps, which were erected without any warning signs.

Some motorists said their vehicles are damaged on hitting the bumps due to lack of warning signs.