A week after the redesign of the Coptic Roundabout in Kisumu began, officials from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) visited the site to assess the ongoing work.

In a statement on Saturday, August 23, 2025, the authority confirmed that a delegation led by its acting Director General, Luka Kimeli, visited the site.

The visit was primarily to assess how the roundabout was functioning after a week of extensive work on redesigning the area in Mamboleo along the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, following a series of road accidents in the area, with the latest claiming 26 lives.

“The Kenya National Highways Authority acting Director General, Eng. Luka Kimeli, visited the Coptic Roundabout in Kisumu to assess the performance of the interventions undertaken to reduce accidents at the site,” the statement read in part.

“Earlier, the Authority reconfigured the Roundabout to swiftly address the safety concerns affecting the area,” it added.

Vows to maintain road safety

During the visit, KeNHA acting DG reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to maintain road safety for all users.

The reconfiguration commenced on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Samwel Kumba, KeNHA’s Deputy Director of Corporate Communication, disclosed that the reconfiguration of the roundabout was to accommodate various road user attributes.

As part of the process, KeNHA informed the public that it had deployed a team to conduct a topographical data collection survey, which will be key in the planned redesign of the Coptic Roundabout.

“KeNHA has embarked on the reconfiguration of the Coptic Roundabout to accommodate various road user attributes,” the statement read in part.

“Following a recent multi-agency site visit, a topographical survey data collection is underway to aid in the reconfiguration as the Authority seeks to come up with an optimal safe solution to address the road safety challenge,” Samuel Kumba added.

In the recent accident at the spot, 19 people died instantly after the school bus they were travelling in veered off the road when the driver lost control.

Other victims died while receiving treatment at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).