Questions have been raised about the Sh1.2b offer from the Qatari government to establish a trauma centre at Salgaa, the notorious black spot that has claimed many lives.
Area residents have accused both the county and national governments of failing to implement the project that was meant to save the lives of accident victims at the black spot.
The project proposed by retired President Mwai Kibaki remains a dream despite the high number of deaths attributed to road accidents reported on the Nakuru-Sobea-Salgaa-Sachang'wan road.
Residents have demanded answers to why the facility has stalled for years with no clear communication from the relevant authorities.
Some have claimed that instead of the facility being constructed at the trading centre, it was moved to the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru, approximately 20kms away.
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“It is not clear why casualties are moved to Nakuru for treatment when the Qatari government offered to fund the construction of the trauma centre at Salgaa. The project has never been implemented and, unfortunately, we were informed that it was moved to the provincial general hospital,” said Joshua Cheruiyot, a local leader.
Among the accidents that jolted the country and led to the championing of the centre was the death of 132 people at Sachang'wan after an oil tanker overturned in February 2009.
Another resident, Paul Koech, observed that a major challenge to the implementation of the project was lack of political will.
Be established
The Standard team visited the six-acre parcel of land where the centre was supposed to be established and found livestock grazing there.
The land purchased using Constituency Development Fund money in 2007, was unutilised and left at the mercy of land grabbers.
According to Nakuru Health Executive Jonah Mwangi, no money was allocated but the Qatar government offered to give the country a soft loan to be repaid with interest of four per cent.
Dr Mwangi said the project was to be discussed between the two governments but this never happened.
He dismissed claims that the facility was moved to Nakuru, saying the ongoing project at the hospital was funded by the county and donors.
The county government, he added, was planning to meet various stakeholders to find a way forward on how to jump-start the construction of the facility at Salgaa.
“The trauma centre at PGH is almost complete and we are collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure the Salgaa one is constructed,” he said.
According to Dr Mark Lutomia, an orthopaedic surgeon, a trauma centre should be established on the highway to assist accident victims.
