Reprieve as risky stretch on Ngong Road repaired

Makeshift signage near Racecourse area, allegedly put by motorists at Dagoretti corner bridge along Ngong Road.(Courtesy)

The Kenya Urban Roads Agency has moved to rectify a section of Ngong Road that has been notorious for many accidents.

Motorists using the road have protested over the dangerous stretch from Dagoreti bridge up to Lenana area, which lacked road signs to show the two U-turns, and this has put their lives at risk.

They also wanted proper lighting erected in the area to reduce the number of accidents that have been witnessed in the recent past.

"There is no signage on the road and as you slow down to take a U-turn, you can easily be hit from behind. It's worse at night when an oncoming driver puts on full lights which can be blinding," said Michael Shikanda, a motorist.

The road has two U-turns, one for motorists coming from the city centre and another for those coming from Ngong into the city.

The dotted lane from city centre leading to the U-turn is short and challenging to speeding drivers.

"This area should have been expanded because there is a large empty space between the road, yet the lanes are so squeezed," said Hellen Okapesi, a resident of Racecourse area.

She said vehicles ram into each other because the lanes are also narrow. 

On the other side of the road heading into the city from Ngong, there are no road marks.

Kenya Urban Roads Agency(KURA) said the section of the road is being repaired to save lives.

"We are improving the area by removing the 'island' which gave motorists an illusion that the road is continuous," said John Cheboi, KURA chief corporate communications officer.

"Signage will be part of the improvement not only at the area but along the entire road," said Cheboi. 

On Monday, angry motorists put up a makeshift road block at Racecourse area, which consisted of an orange-painted boulder and two wooden hazard signs to warn other road users.

By Monday evening, a speed bump had been erected in the area to slow down motorists. And yesterday, KURA removed the protruding sections that were causing accidents.