The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has once again taken aim at the government, accusing it of negligence and failure to expand one of the country’s busiest highways after a series of deadly crashes along the Nairobi–Nakuru road.
In a strongly worded statement issued Wednesday, October 1, the lobby demanded the immediate start of works to dual the Rironi–Naivasha–Nakuru–Mau Summit stretch, arguing that a dual carriageway is the only way to cut down the rising number of accidents and fatalities.
MAK accused successive governments of ignoring expansion plans for over 15 years, saying poor design and neglect have turned the Northern Corridor into a death trap.
“This negligence has cost not only thousands of lives but also billions in economic losses. Transporters are now diverting cargo through Tanzania’s Central Corridor and even shifting to railway projects. Kenya is bleeding business because of perpetual government incompetence,” the statement read in part.
The association pointed to the once notorious Salgaa blackspot where fatalities sharply declined after the road was expanded as proof that dualling works save lives.
It also dismissed the government’s frequent argument that most accidents are caused by human error.
“Officials like to blame ‘speeding,’ but vehicles are built to move faster than walking. People must get to hospitals, attend court, deliver goods, and keep work and family commitments,” the association noted.
Beyond dualling, MAK called for a full audit of public funds spent on road projects in the last 15 years, the installation of concrete barriers, and safer designs at known blackspots.
The renewed push follows a string of accidents on the highway. Last week, 16 people were killed when a matatu collided head-on with a trailer. Barely a day later, two lorries crashed on the same road, causing massive traffic jams.
Separately, the Road Safety Association of Kenya called for drastic measures, including revoking all driving licences issued by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in the past six years.
Its chairperson, David Kiarie, claimed many of those licences were acquired illegally, with some motorists skipping driving school altogether.
He urged the government to cancel them and compel drivers to undergo proper training before reissuing valid permits.
