The Northern Bypass was not meant to bring suffering to the people of Githogoro; but that is exactly what it has done. The 34km bypass which opened in 2011 links Limuru road with Thika road. Githogoro village lies on both sides of the section between Runda and Kiambu road. While the bypass has made areas such as Kahawa West and Rwaka to flourish, it is characterised by accidents in Githogoro.
So many fatal road accidents occur along the bypass with 'hit and run's' topping the list. Many lives have been lost especially those of men in the community. It seems like drivers are eager to overspeed once they reach the village.
The negative impact of death and disability from road accidents cannot be overemphasised. In Githogoro, parents are now keen to keep their children at home lest they wander into the bypass. This causes parental anxiety and deprives children the right to play. The bypass is a stray lion in the village.
Speed bumps have been erected in particular areas of the Northern Bypass but the Githogoro section has none. The location of these bumps is not determined by a consistent evaluation of road safety.
It appears that the ability of local communities to demand such road safety measures is more important. In addition, only a few businesses in Githogoro seen the economic advantage of the bypass.
Through implementation of Engineering, Law Enforcement and Education services, this can change. The design of the bypass is not friendly to non-motorists. It lacks adequate cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings. In addition, the police have failed in their duties to enforce traffic rules. Apart from National road safety campaigns, there haven’t been any significant local efforts to educate Northern Bypass users.
The Githogoro community has several resources that can be harnessed to make the bypass safer. To start with, residents of Githogoro have a strong sense of belonging and in-group social capital. Therefore, churches, mosques, schools and street performances can be used to create road safety awareness.
Secondly, the community enjoys goodwill with bypass matatu operators since it has their largest client base. Finally, Githogoro is home to one of the most active youth associations in Westlands constituency. The association has an office along the bypass from where it runs sports and education programmes in the community.
Due to the increase in road accidents along the bypass, the association incorporated road safety awareness in its programmes. It is also planning to establish an emergency response centre with trained volunteers who can administer first aid, call for help and collect data on accidents.
Roads are supposed to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of goods and people. Often in Kenya, roads are constructed without careful considerations of all users. In addition, the institutions that are tasked with ensuring road safety do not perform very well. This has led to preventable deaths, disability and deprivation of freedoms. Indeed, about 3,000 people die from road accidents in Kenya annually. Community-based actions, such as those proposed for Githogoro, can be used to prevent injuries and deaths from road accidents.