The horrendous July road accident at the Londiani Junction on the Nakuru-Kericho highway in which 52 people died and 32 others injured was a reminder to the Ruto administration that there are major enduring challenges demanding immediate attention.

A loaded truck’s brakes failed, and it plowed through vehicles and a roadside market, crushing hapless victims in vehicles and traders at the market. The biggest casualties were the mama mbogas and boda boda riders. The Government failed its most critical constituency, the one on whose hopes and aspirations it rode into power.

The Government’s reaction was what Kenyans have come to expect after every horror accident- knee jerk, and typical. Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, immediately led a ‘high powered delegation’ to the scene. As is customary, he then announced ‘a raft of tough measures.’ If it was not so tragic an issue, Kenyans would have broken their ribs dying of laughter!

Even more laughable were the inclusion in this’ raft’ measures that successive governments have undertaken with spectacular failure. These included re-testing of drivers, signage on roads, erection of bumps (not to forget that the truck even hit a bump as it careened out of control), speed cameras (just how fast can a laden truck move?) and intensification of police patrols. Of course, nothing has been heard of that matter again.

Forget retesting. It’s a waste of time, and nobody will ‘fail. It is simply giving police a whole new toll station. Annual inspections are a total failure. The brakes on this truck failed.

Barely four months ago, the brakes on a bus carrying students from Pwani University returning from games in Eldoret lost its brakes and careened out of control, crashing a matatu and rolling. Eighteen people died.

The taking of bribes by traffic police is so rampant and brazen that the intensification of police patrols is completely meaningless. It is obvious that this Government, just like its predecessors, does not have the stomach for the dirty and very disruptive job required to get rid of corrupt traffic cops.

So, what to do? The Government can undertake some simple mitigating measures that will act to immediately curtail road carnage, by reducing the propensity for accidents.

A viable solution needs to be found urgently for roadside traders. Incidentally, this problem is on all highways that connect major towns. Work with those communities in the areas these roadside markets are situated, educate them, and forge solutions together. This collaborative effort ensures traders and the community do not reject the new market as is happening countrywide.

Redesign and rebuild all black spots on all roads in the country. They are all mapped out. It is bewildering that this simple and inexpensive road safety measure continues to be completely ignored by mandarins at the Transport ministry.

The deadly Salgaa stretch on Nakuru-Eldoret road was redesigned and a dual carriageway built. The perennial headlines from that stretch have disappeared. Simple. Effective. And immediate.
Further, legislate huge penalties and liabilities for those whose trucks and public service vehicles cause accidents due to mechanical failure. Hit them where it hurts most- in their pockets. That will get them to pay attention.

Establish a multi agency taskforce with this mandate and a deadline to carry out these simple tasks. And mobilise money for it.

The clear message that emerges is that for the Transport CS, nothing has changed. It was simply a game of musical chairs- replacing one CS with another. He must dump the form book and think completely out of the box!

This Government was elected with a clear mandate to move the country from the rut in which it has been stuck for 60 years, which was not working for the masses- the so-called bottom-up approach. Each CS must interpret their dockets accordingly. With this kneejerk response, it obvious that CS Murkomen is yet to grasp that for this administration, it can never be business as usual.

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