Travelling along Chesoi-Maron-Sambalat road in Elgeyo Marakwet County, a motorist is treated to unnerving view of Elgeyo escarpment to the plains of Kerio Valley.
Notwithstanding the spine-chilling experience navigating the road, it is also considered a death trap due to its undulating rock-filled hills and numerous sharp bends.
Few dare use the 15 kilometre tarmac road and the ‘brave’ ones who occasionally ply the route have lived to tell a tale of scary experience.
Lose control
The section has been tricky for drivers, with many losing control of their vehicles and plunging into the escarpment.
Locals prefer to travel hundreds of kilometres using alternative routes for fear of the now regular accidents on the road.
Fr Gordius Kipkoech, a priest at St Michael Catholic Church-Embobut who is a regular user of the road, said the road is so steep and not for the faint-hearted.
“My experience on this road on my mission work both in the highlands and at the valley is no joke. It is a scary one. You cannot be sure if you will reach your destination alive. You have to navigate the vehicle using the lowest gear, whether going downhill or going up,” narrates the priest.
He said the steepness of the road easily overheats and wears off the brake system of the vehicle, making it difficult to control it.
“Another priest who wanted to travel to Endo mission was so terrified of the steep meanders and asked me to help him drive the vehicle. I am advising anyone travelling to Kerio Valley to use alternative routes,” said Kipkoech.
He said they have buried many accident victims and blamed the fatalities on design and poor signage on the road.
He said they have held several prayer sessions along the road seeking divine intervention to stop the carnage.
“As you can see, there is no signage on the road to forewarn motorists. The guardrails are also few and there are no barriers on the cliffs, making it one of the dangerous roads. It is also costly in terms of fuel because of using the low gear and can damage the car engine,” he said.
Despite the government spending billions of shillings to construct the road to benefit local residents who hitherto travelled tens of kilometres to reach Kerio Valley, the road is now relegated to a private one since it is only used by motorbike riders and a handful of private car owners.
The road links Kerio Valley region at Liter and the highlands at Maron and was constructed to mitigate transport woes in the region, especially while responding to emergencies and ferrying farm produce in Kerio Valley to markets.
Since its completion a few years ago, driver of Public Service Vehicles and lorries have kept off the route.
The road is also facing a serious threat from landslide. Several sections along the road have been blocked by the falling rocks and mud and in some areas the new road is partially damaged.
“Travelling along this road during rainy season is very dangerous because of rockfalls, mudslides and floods as well as poor visibility occasioned by fog,” said Father Kipkoech.
Locals now want the road to be redesigned or closed altogether to avert more accidents.
“We had given the government 21 days to act which has since lapsed but the demand was ignored. In due course, we will be moving to court to seek legal redress on behalf of the victims, the affected families and the general road users on the road safety,” said High Court of Kenya advocate Kiprop Marrirmoi, representing the locals.
He said they had demanded a team of experts visit the area to assess if the road is safe for use.
Joel Kiptoo, a local said, “this road is too steep, the government should erect barriers to prevent vehicles from veering off it whenever drivers lose control.”
He said the road was constructed with the hope that it would help farmers and residents along the Kerio Valley access markets outside the area since the Chesoi-Chesongoch-Tot road had become playing grounds for bandits and cattle rustlers.
“Interventions are urgently required to solve the problem of road accidents along the route. The only solution is to provide barriers or the road be redesigned,” said Kiptoo.
Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner Ahmed Omar echoed the locals’ sentiments about the closure of the road for redesign.
“The relevant ministries have received our petition regarding how dangerous the road has proved to be. We recommend it be redesigned,” said the commissioner.
Human error
However, Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) Director General Philemon Kandie told The Standard that 90 per ecnt of the accidents on the said road are as a result of human error.
“When accidents occur, we do not blame the road but the users. To the best of my knowledge, the road in question was designed to suit the hilly terrain there and is not poorly done as alleged,” he said.
On the issue of signage and guard rails, the director general said they are regularly replaced after being vandalised.
“We’re calling on the road users to be cautious always and avoid speeding on such steep road,” he said.
