Road accidents are caused by recklessness and speeding

A total of 78 people — among them the widow of former Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Ouko — died in accidents on roads in Kericho alone in 2017.

A further 49 sustained serious injuries, while 12 were slightly injured, said a police report.

Kericho County Commander James Mugera told the Nation that most accidents are caused by indisciplined drivers who overtake carelessly, use wrong lanes and dangerously join roads at junctions.

“Speed is not one of the main causes of accidents in Kericho. It’s purely driver carelessness. Drivers break traffic rules knowingly,” said the officer.                                          

Mrs Ouko died after her vehicle, being driven by her son, veered off the road at the Muhoroni junction and rolled several times.

A few kilometres from the scene, nine passengers, including a four-year-old girl, perished on August 6, following a head-on collision between a 14-seater matatu and a lorry at Nyaberia corner, near Kipsitet trading centre. 

Former Roads minister Franklin Bett, who arrived at the scene, said the accident could have been prevented.

 “The lorry driver learnt of the brake failure several kilometres away, but continued driving. The behaviour in our roads is very wanting,” said Mr Bett.

OVERLOADED PROBOX

In Kisii County, residents have complained of overloaded Probox cars plying various routes  contributing to accidents.

At the Kisii bus terminus, investigations by the Nation revealed that a number of 14-seater matatus, especially those heading to Migori and Sirare, carry up to 18 passengers. This is done by placing wooden planks, known as sambaza, between seats to create more sitting space.

Anyone who refuses to sit on them is thrown out by the rowdy touts. Inside the matatus, most of the seats are torn and have faulty or no safety belts.

And even when a matatu is full, the touts still call for more customers who will stand at the door.

“If you try to oppose that, you will always end up being thrown out of the matatu, so you remain silent,” said Mr John Migiro.

According to a driver who requested for anonymity for fear of victimisation, the crew part with a protection fee of between Sh50 and Sh200 to avoid arrest.

UNWRITTEN DEAL

“It is an unwritten deal between the police and us. This will enable us to operate freely without being disturbed,” said the driver.

The situation is worse in vehicles that operate on the Kisii-Keroka and Kisii-Nyamira routes. Even with excess passengers, the drivers are waved on at the numerous police roadblocks.

The overloading menace is even worse in Probox cars used as matatus. The cars carry up to 15 passengers a trip, four passengers that share the driver’s and co-driver’s seats, and the rest sit on the back seat and inside the boot.

Kisii County police commander Hassan Abdi said there are plans to bring sanity back to the roads.

He said the traffic department had already started a crackdown on Probox cars and other motorists who are fond of breaking the law in the county.

SPECIAL WARDS

“Serious action will be taken against drivers with private cars that operate as PSVs,” he said.                 

In Kakamega, Governor Wycliffe Oparanya accused traffic police of not taking their work seriously.

“Our hospitals have been forced to set aside special wards for admitting riders and pillion passengers injured in accidents,” he lamented last week. He spoke as the county buried yet another five victims of road accidents at Museno on the Kakamega-Kisumu highway.

In general, 52 people were killed and 17 others injured in accidents reported in different parts of western region in the past three months.

The western region traffic police boss Geoffrey Njogu said: “Speeding by motorists and motorcycle riders and their failure to observe traffic regulations contributed to the high number of accidents in the region.”

 Reports by Anita Chepkoech, Nyaboga Kiage and Benson Amadala