KeNHA picks Chinese contractor to build dual road on dreaded Salgaa stretch

Onlookers at a scene of an accident at Migaa near Salgaa on the Nakuru- Eldoret Highway on February 09, 2017. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By ERIC MATARA

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Summary

• Frequent accidents on the 22-kilometre Sobea-Salgaa-Mau Summit stretch have claimed dozens of lives
• In December last year alone, more than 40 lives were lost along the stretch.
• This prompted prompting State's decision to turn it to a dual carriageway.

The highways authority has awarded China Railway No. 10 company the contract to build the much-awaited Sobea-Salgaa-Mau Summit dual road on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) on Thursday said the contractor was doing some work on the stretch before construction begins by mid-May.

“The contractor has already started preliminary work ahead of the actual construction that will begin in May. The construction will be complete by May, 2019 ,” KeNHA's public relations officer Charles Njogu said

Frequent accidents on the dreaded 22-kilometre stretch have claimed dozens of lives and left scores of people maimed, prompting State's decision to turn it to a dual carriageway.

READ: More speed barriers between Sachang’wan, Salgaa

Sh500 million

In December, the government announced that it would spend Sh500 million in constructing the dual road, with an aim of curbing the accidents.

The notorious section stretches from Sobea, Salgaa, Migaa, Sachangwan and Mau Summit. It also includes Jolly Farm and Mkinyai areas.

“All procedures for the construction of the dual carriageway are complete and the works will begin by mid-May,” said Mr Njogu.

The project, according to KeNHA, will involve expansion of the notorious stretch between Sobea and Mau Summit, designing and construction of emergency runaway truck rumps, repair of guardrails and installation of warning and informative road signs.

The design will also provide for the construction of a lorry brake checking point with a capacity of 20 lorries to evaluate the braking systems of vehicles on the road.

Numbers killed

In December last year alone, more than 40 lives were lost along the stretch.

An oil tanker accident in 2009 killed nearly 200 people at Sachangwan area along the highway.

Dark patches of spilled oil, broken glasses, and pieces of rubber and mangled remains of motor vehicle parts litter the road section – a grim reminder that the stretch bears a bitter past for many families.