MPs plead for dual carriageway at Salgaa blackspot

Three lawmakers have urged Kenya National Highways Authority to build a dual carriageway along the accident-prone Sobea-Salgaa-Sachang’wan-Mau Summit stretch on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria, Rongai’s Raymond Moi and Mr Joseph Tonui of Kuresoi South on Wednesday said the continued loss of lives at the stretch was disturbing and asked the authorities and agencies concerned to act fast.

ACCIDENT

“Hardly a week passes without a fatal accident occurring on the stretch. The majority of these collisions involve trucks. KeNHA should move with speed to make the stretch a dual carriageway,” Mr Moi said.

Mr Gikaria said the authority should use the amount set aside for an accident trauma centre at Salgaa for the dual carriageway.

“Action has to be taken immediately,” the Nakuru Town East lawmaker said.

People’s Power Watch, a civil society group, through its chairman Jesse Karanja and St John Ambulance, echoed the MPs’ sentiments.

St John Ambulance volunteers stationed at Sachang’wan insisted on the construction of a trauma centre along with the dual carriageway.

TRAUMA CENTRE

“There is a need for such a centre and a standby ambulance at the stretch before the government constructs the dual carriageway. Every time an accident occurs, we take victims to Nakuru Level Five Hospital,” Mr Solomon Bii, a volunteer, said.

Mr Ken Kitush, another volunteer, asked the county government to begin the construction of the trauma centre.

He said the agreement to establish the centre at Salgaa was reached during President Mwai Kibaki’s regime but it was shelved when another was constructed Nakuru town.

In the last two weeks, 13 people have died in accidents along the 12km stretch.

The most notorious section stretches from Sobea to Total junction, near Mau Summit