At least 70 people have died in separate accidents in the past 72 hours.
In contrast, at least 71 people died in similar circumstances between January and November 28 on sections between Nakuru and Eldoret alone, according to the Government.
Tuesday’s multiple crashes at Sachag’wan left at least 15 people dead.
But the merry-making month of December, though not yet over, has claimed more than double the number of deaths compared to the past 11 months.
“The upsurge of road accidents in this month of December on the stretch between Eldoret and Nakuru is worrying,” said National Transport and Safety Authority Director General Francis Meja.
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“Our team has been stationed on the stretch 24 hours in a move to curb road carnage. But despite the efforts, the number keeps rising,” he said.
While many have died, a majority suffer paralysis, others are amputated while the lucky ones have a painful memory to keep as long as they live.
A truck that hit more than six vehicles left at least 15 people dead at Sachang’wan on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway leaving many passengers seriously injured on Tuesday.
Nine relatives
On Monday, 19 people were killed in a freak road accident at Kamukuywa Bridge along the Webuye-Kitale road.
Among the dead are nine family members who were travelling to Vihiga from Kitale after attending an unspecified ceremony.
Witnesses recounted how six vehicles were involved in multiple accidents at the killer bridge between 8.30pm and 10pm on Monday. This month 18 people were killed in an accident that involved an Administration Police vehicle that was heading to Kapedo from Marigat town in Baringo.
The death toll for the Moinonon crash along Marigat-Loruk road is still rising. On Saturday, a road accident claimed seven artistes who were on their way to Baringo to stage performances.
Renowned Kalenjin singer Weldon Cheruiyot aka Kenene and six others were travelling for a show in Ilot in Equator from Kericho when they met their death at 7.30pm.
Multiple Crash
Rift Valley Traffic Enforcement Officer Zero Arome said the accident involved four vehicles; a Probox, Wish, Double cabin and trailer.
At least three people died in a grisly road accident along the Matuu-Garissa highway in Kitui County this week and one died yesterday at Cabanas in Nairobi.
A boda boda cyclist and two of his passengers died on the spot following a head on collision with a private vehicle in Kathiani, Machakos County on Sunday.
The accident at Sachang’wan claimed more than 15 people when a trailer ploughed into a number of vehicles, including a Modern Coast Bus that was travelling to Mombasa from Kampala.
“A majority of the accidents are caused by reckless driving which makes it difficult to stop the accidents before they happen,” Meja explained.
The NTSA chief saidt plans are underway to construct a dual carriageway at Sachang’wan as part of the solution to the current problem.
“We are considering a dual carriageway to ensure that those vehicles driving down do not use the same road as those travelling up,” he said.
But as NTSA ponders what to do in order to fix the problem on our roads, careless driving and human era have been blamed on the increasing number of roads accidents.
