Mombasa, Outering account for most road crash fatalities

A section of Outering Road at the Donholm Flyover. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Murang’a Road, the Southern Bypass, Ngong and Forest roads recorded four deaths, while Kiambu Road had five and Airport North Road nine.
  • Mombasa Road accounted for 27 deaths, Outering Road 23, followed by Waiyaki Way and Thika Road, both with 18.
  • Kangundo Road recorded 16 deaths, with Jogoo Road and the Eastern Bypass recording 12 each and Juja Road 10.

Mombasa and Outering roads continue to lead in the number of road fatalities in Nairobi, with the capital leading in the number of deaths countrywide.

According to the latest report by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Nairobi recorded 275 deaths between January 1 and August 19, 2019.

MAJOR ROADS

Of these, Mombasa Road accounted for 27 deaths, Outering Road 23, followed by Waiyaki Way and Thika Road, both with 18. Kangundo Road recorded 16 deaths, with Jogoo Road and the Eastern Bypass recording 12 each and Juja Road 10.

Other major roads in the capital recorded fewer than 10 deaths during the period under review, with the Northern Bypass, Mwiki-Kasarani and Lang’ata and Enterprise roads accounting for three deaths.

Murang’a Road, the Southern Bypass, Ngong and Forest roads recorded four deaths, while Kiambu Road had five and Airport North Road nine.

Last year, NTSA identified 273 black spots across the country, 199 of which were in the Northern Corridor and 74 in Nairobi.

Private vehicles lead in causing deaths, with 73 involved in the crashes so far. This is followed by unknown vehicles (64), public service vehicles (56,) commercial vehicles (42), motorcycles (33), government vehicles (2), and the same number for pedal cycles. Only one tuktuk and one hand cart have been involved in any fatalities since January.

Of the 274 fatalities in Nairobi, 163 were pedestrians, followed by motorcyclists (48) passengers (34), drivers (15), pillion (motorcycle) passengers (11) and pedal cyclists (3).

Other counties with high numbers of road fatalities include Kiambu with 183, Machakos, 141; Nakuru, 134; Makueni, 87; Murang’a, 82, Kericho, 74; and Nyeri, 72.

Counties with the fewest fatalities were Embu (39), Narok and Siaya (42), Kitui (45) Nyandarua (46), and Kisii and Kilifi (48).

Only Kisumu, Narok, Kilifi and Nyandarua recorded fewer deaths during the period compared with a similar one last year.

Nationally, 2,181 deaths have been recorded so far, representing an increase of 276 compared with the same period last year.

Pedestrians continue to account for most of the fatalities, with 839 recorded, compared with 727 during the same period last year.

Similarly, an increase in fatalities was recorded among motorcyclists, which rose from 515 during the same period last year to 641.

Meanwhile, 450 passengers have lost their lives across the country. This was 15 more than last year. And the number of drivers who have died rose from 193 last year to 204. The number of pedal cyclists rose from 37 to 47.