Killer road: KURA to put safety measures along Ng'ong Road

The scene on Ngong road where four people died after their car hit part of the wall. [David Njaaga, Standard]

The Kenya Urban Roads Agency (KURA) has bowed to pressure from Kenyans incensed with frequent accidents along Ng'ong Road and promised to ensure safety measures are put in place.

In a statement, the road agency said additional safety measures will be introduced along the road. Kenyans reacted angrily following the latest accident that claimed four lives on Sunday. 

While regretting the incident, Kura urged motorists to exercise caution while driving along the road, which is still under re-construction.

"We have assessed the current usage of the road and are already implementing additional safety measures to ensure users are safe. We urge Kenyans to drive carefully as we continue to improve the safety standards of our roads," said Kura.

The victims of the Sunday accident near Jamhuri Grounds Junction were identified as two Kenyans and Canadian siblings. Two others escaped with serious injuries. They were said to be friends driving towards the city centre from Karen.

The Toyota surf car veered off the road hitting a concrete wall before plunging into an underpass railway line which is 10 metres below.

According to Lang’ata OCPD Benjamin Mwanthi, two others, a man and a woman were taken to a city hospital in a critical condition.

"The two foreigners have been in the country since October last year," said Mwanthi.

The two middle-aged Canadians were siblings, one of whom was a missionary. The police boss said the evacuation exercise took them about two hours as the wreckage was stuck with bodies trapped inside.

The driver of the ill-fated car is said to have come out of the vehicle before collapsing shortly after.

“He managed to get out of the vehicle but he was bleeding from his mouth. He made a phone call and collapsed. We suspect that they were driving at a high speed because the impact was so big. The wreckage had to be cut to remove the deceased,” said Ronald Wasike, a resident who witnessed the recovery of the vehicle. 

Five lives have already been lost since the beginning of this year. “My appeal to motorists is to be cautious while using the road, especially during the night when traffic is not heavy,” urged the Lang'ata police commander.

Residents and business people operating along the road called on relevant agencies to publicise details of the contractor who was constructing the road complaining that the road has become a nightmare to pedestrians and motorists.

“There is no single signage, there are no traffic lights, the road is not marked and that is where the problem is. The government built this road to help us but it has now become a killer road. We should not wait for more people to die to fix the problem,” said Justus Yego, a bodaboda rider plying the route.

A spot-check by The Standard team along the road showed missing road features such as markings, footbridge, speed bumps, lights, and signage.