The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has blamed inadequate funding for delays in expanding and upgrading major roads, even as a growing number of accidents continue to claim lives across the country.
KeNHA Director General Luka Kimeli said on Monday, October 5, that expanding more than 2,500 kilometres of roads could help reduce accidents, particularly along sections that have been classified as high-risk.
Among the major roads earmarked for expansion is the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, which is currently undergoing construction. The Mombasa-Nairobi Highway is also set for dualling amid a string of fatal crashes reported along the busy route in recent days.
Kimeli said the planned expansion of the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway could significantly improve road safety by addressing some of the risks associated with the heavily congested corridor.
“We have lost a lot of lives on that road, and we hope that when the issue of dualling is addressed, we shall not have the kind of problems we are currently having,” Kimeli told Citizen TV.
The remarks came amid growing scrutiny of government agencies responsible for road safety, with different institutions highlighting various factors behind the rising number of crashes.
Kimeli said KeNHA's efforts to accelerate road projects were being hampered by competition for government resources from other sectors.
“The biggest challenge we have is the competition we are subjected to when seeking funding with other sectors of the economy,” the KeNHA DG said.
Road Design Concerns
KeNHA Director of Development Henry Gakuru identified road terrain and certain design challenges as additional factors that could increase accident risks on some sections.
Gakuru said the authority was working on measures to address such risks, including interventions targeting known accident blackspots.
KeNHA is also considering speed-calming measures and other road safety interventions in areas identified as particularly dangerous.
The authority has at the same time urged motorists to exercise greater caution, obey traffic regulations and adapt their driving to prevailing road conditions.
NTSA Gives Different View
The position from KeNHA differs from that of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), which maintained that road accidents cannot be blamed on a single factor.
NTSA Director of Safety Andrew Kiplagat said road safety was influenced by several elements, including the condition of vehicles, the state of roads, behaviour of road users and the effectiveness of post-crash response.
“When a crash happens, you ask yourself what was the issue with the vehicle and the road as well as the road user and the post-crash,” Kiplagat said.
NTSA said it had conducted safety audits on sections of major highways and proposed various interventions, including dualling some roads.
However, the authority noted that some of the recommendations had not yet been implemented by the agencies responsible for the affected roads.
Motorists Raise Concerns
Motorists have meanwhile highlighted several challenges they believe are contributing to accidents on major highways.
Among the concerns raised are inadequate road signage, stalled trucks that remain on highways for extended periods, unmarked bumps and dangerous driving behaviour.
The Nairobi-Nakuru, Nakuru-Eldoret and Mombasa-Nairobi highways have been singled out by motorists as some of the routes where such challenges are particularly concerning.
Government Promises Action
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the government was taking steps to address the rising number of road accidents, including plans to expand key highways.
Chirchir said the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway and other identified accident hotspots remained a priority as the government seeks the funding required to implement the planned road improvements.
The funding challenge, however, remains a major hurdle, with KeNHA indicating that competition for government resources continues to affect the pace at which major road projects can be rolled out.
