Two people, including a lorry driver, died on Wednesday morning in a fatal accident involving multiple vehicles on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway in the Sachangwan area.
More than ten people, who sustained various injuries in the early morning crash, will also spend Christmas in the hospital.
According to Allan Ogolla, the Nakuru County Traffic Enforcement Officer, who confirmed the accident, it involved five vehicles, including two Nissan matatus carrying passengers from Eldoret.
"The lorry driver heading to Nakuru lost control before hitting multiple vehicles, including the two Matatus, all of which were heading towards Nakuru. The lorry driver died at the scene, while the passenger died while receiving treatment at Molo Sub-County Hospital. The injured were taken to Molo Sub-County Hospital and Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, where they are receiving treatment," revealed Mr Ogolla.
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"The vehicles involved in the accident were towed to Molo police station," added the police boss.
Witnesses said that the lorry had developed mechanical problems, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which then rammed into the other vehicles.
James Kinuthia, who witnessed the accident, told the Nation : "The lorry was speeding before the accident occurred. That is why it was difficult for the driver to control the vehicle, which then rammed into the other motor vehicles."
The accident, which occurred in the early morning, disrupted traffic on the busy highway for nearly one hour while the police and a rescue team from the Kenya Red Cross cleared the road.
Following the accident, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Dr Abdi Hassan called on motorists on major roads and highways in the region to observe road safety rules during the festive season.
The wreckage of the lorry that was involved in the Wednesday morning accident on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. Two people, including the lorry driver, died in the road crash.
Photo credit: Jimson Ndung'u | Nation
"More traffic police officers and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officials have been deployed to major roads, but I would like to remind motorists to observe basic traffic rules and avoid loss of life. I urge all motorists and road users to exercise extra vigilance during the festive period. Every life on our roads counts and must be protected at all costs," said the administrator.
“We shall ensure police conduct thorough crackdowns on the major roads including the busy Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway, to arrest errant motorists. Motorists must stop speeding and careless driving, which is common during the festive season," he added.
For the past one week, police officers and NTSA officials strategically positioned have been camping at various accident blackspots on the busy road, to deter rogue drivers from overlapping, a common practice that often worsens congestion on the busy route.
Over the past week, police officers and NTSA officials have been strategically positioned at various accident blackspots along the busy route to deter drivers from overlapping, a common practice which often worsens congestion.
Other blackspots are Ngata, Sobea, Jolly Farm, Mukinyai, Total and Mau Summit on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway.
A series of accidents in the Salgaa-Migaa-Sachangwan section prompted the government to build a concrete barrier to reduce incessant road carnage in this area.
Erected by the government in 2019, the concrete barrier separating the lanes of traffic has seen a drastic decline in motor accidents along the Salgaa-Sachangwan stretch.
