Of the 371 deaths recorded last year, 22 occurred along Ngong Road, making it one of the most dangerous roads in Nairobi.
Every hour, the driver of a passenger service vehicle (PSV), bus or car swerves – often across double lines – to avoid smashing into pavements, curves and lanes that end abruptly.
The mix of high-speed traffic and pedestrians crossing the road, which does not have footbridges, is a dangerous combination. In one recent incident, four people died after a driver apparently lost control, hit a railway bridge wall and crashed onto the railway track beneath.
The Ngong bridge has long been seen as a black spot where multiple lives have been lost, say the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and motorists who use the busy road.
An incomplete pedestrian footbridge found along Ngong Road at the Showground Junction on March 15, 2022.
Death Traps
People who spoke to the Nation during one week of reporting on the driving conditions on the route all used the same words to describe it – death traps.
“Can one design a road to lead to people’s death? This is what I have been asking myself especially since my friend lost his daughter on this road last month. This avoidable death is on you [Kura]. The accident happened in darkness at the bridge over the railway,” said Mr Eric Kiganda.
Ms Sharron Muriuki said: “My neighbour lost his daughter in this accident, one among many lives that have been unnecessarily lost its construction started. Sheer negligence by those tasked with the all-important task of designing and supervising the construction.”
These are just a few sad experiences that families go through every day.
Mr Peter Kinoti blamed Kura and the contractor for doing a shoddy job. “Once Kura was awarded this road, I knew it would be a disaster. Nothing this corporation does ends well. Nothing. The Roads ministry governing structure is wrong. I don’t think they have the technical abilities that the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) has.”
After the bridge crash in February, Kura Director-General Silas Kinoti said the road opened for use due to public pressure.
“I apologise to the public over the Ngong Road accident that left four people dead. The agency regrets the accident and that it’s not its intention to see people die on the roads,” he said.
The announcement by the government that the road will be expanded into a dual carriageway came as a relief for many in 2017.
Expansion
Travellers who have used the road in the past year now wish it had not been expanded.
Kura says the work is 95 percent complete, adding that it will redesign sections of its 9.8km from Dagoretti Corner to Karen Shopping Centre.
This comes after motorists complained about the poor design that they blamed for deaths and injuries.
The project was to be completed in 2019 but that did not happen as the contractor encountered challenges moving water and power lines and evicting furniture traders who had invaded road reserves.
The contractor for the Sh2.3 billion project was Chinese firm Qingjian International Group (K) Ltd.
In an interview with the Nation, Mr Kinoti said the government was aware of the challenges of driving on the section, which include lanes that end abruptly.
“The person who did the road markings did not liaise with the designs of the road and that is why we stopped it. We stopped it and we are working to correct it, but we want to do it professionally and ensure that the markings go together with the design of the road,” Mr Kinoti said.
Motorists had urged the government to find a lasting solution.
After their pleas went unheard, some protested over the stretch from the Dagoretti Bridge to Lenana and blocked it in the Racecourse area with an orange-painted boulder and wooden hazard signs.
An incomplete footbridge along Ngong Road on October 3, 2021. Lack of such facilities has forced pedestrians to cross the busy road at the risk of being knocked down by speeding vehicles.
No Road Signs
The road lacks signs to show, among others, two U-turns that have claimed many lives.
A few hours later, Kura moved in and erected a speed bump to slow down motorists and by the following day, the contractor was back on the road removing protruding sections that had led to several accidents.
Kura spokesman John Cheboi told the Nation by phone that the agency was on the ground to improve safety and save lives.
“We are improving the area by removing what was like an island and which gave motorists problems because they would think the road is continuous,” he said.
He added that the improvement will also include signage not only in the notorious area but also along the entire road.
Asked if the planned improvements and redesigning will cost taxpayers money, Mr Cheboi said the contractor will pay for them as he had not completed the road.
The road also lacks lighting, with Mr Kinoti saying there were no provisions for street lighting and Kura was working with the Ministry of Energy through Kenya Power to instal lights.
“It is one of the things that you complain about. It is not well lit and well-marked and it becomes a safety hazard. If you look at social media, one of the places that we are being boxed in is Ngong Road. Resources and mobilisation (are) an issue and it will be sorted out soon.”
Upgrade
The government fully funded the project, which covers three sections: Dagoretti Corner-Karen roundabout (6.2km), Karen Road (1.9km) and a small section of Lang’ata Road from Karen Shopping Centre (1.7km).
Kura said the work includes 6.5-metre-wide, two-lane carriageways, and two roundabouts, one at the Karen Road/Ngong Road intersection and the other at the Karen Road/Lang’ata Road junction.
The design will include bus bays, footbridges, footpaths and cycle paths. Sections will also be landscaped and beautified to preserve the environment.
Kura said the project is part of infrastructure upgrades meant to elevate the status of Nairobi and its environs and achieve the Vision 2030 objective of transforming the country into a middle-income economy.
Ngong Road is being upgraded in three phases. Phase one covered the section from the Kenya National Library to the Ring Road junction.
The project, commissioned in August 2016, is partially funded through a grant from Japan under its economic cooperation programme.
World Kaihatsu Kogyo Company Ltd, a Japanese firm, worked on the 2.5km section from the Kenya National Library to Prestige Plaza. It was completed in December 2017 for Sh1.3 billion.
The second phase, also financed by Japan, covers the 4km section from Prestige Plaza to Dagoretti Corner. The project was completed in April 2019 for Sh2 billion. BY DAILY NATION