KERICHO Kenya July 2 -The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had been warned of poor road clear zone management in some parts of the country.
A road safety audit had warned of potential dangers of operating markets too close to the road and instead.
After the Londiani accident that has so far claimed 52 lives, the Roads, Transport and Public Works Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Saturday directed that all markets along the road reserves be relocated.
Already, at least 37 out of 52 bodies of victims of the Friday road crash in Londiani, Kericho County have been positively identified.
The Londiani Sub-County Hospital medical superintendent Dr Collins Kipkoech yesterday said they were identified by relatives of victims.
He however said 12 bodies are yet to be identified adding that the ones already identified had been released to the relatives to transfer them for preservation at various mortuaries of their choice.
The hospital was in the process of decongesting the mortuary, which has a capacity of only i6 bodies, by placing extra bodies to a mobile body deep-freezer which was provided by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).
According to the postmortem conducted on the bodies of the victims, most of them died due to heavy impact trauma while some might have been electrocuted.
The lorry, registration number RAC164W Mercedes Actros was ferrying cement from Simba Cement in Salgaa to Kigali in Rwanda when the accident happened.
Among the vehicles involved are a Mitsubshi FH lorry, a Volvo truck, three matatus belonging to NANAKISII Sacco, 2MKT Sacco and NAMOKI Sacco respectively, Scania bus belonging to ENA Coach a Toyota salon car, and three motorcycles.
The driver said he was from Simba Cement when the brakes failed and they parked the vehicle. However, due to weight, the vehicle ran over the chocks when they were both outside.
“I jumped into the vehicle as it was moving but could not manage to control it. I turned on full lights and hooted continuous but I lost control of the car and it crashed into other vehicles,” he said from his hospital bed.
On Saturday morning, CS Murkomen visited the scene of the accident and urged motorists to be careful on the road and issued several directives.
Among the directives was that all markets along the road reserve would be relocated, a move that will be implemented by the county government in partnership with the national government.
“County Governments in partnership with the national government through the intergovernmental framework should construct markets off the Highways even as KeNHA constructs access roads to the markets,” he said.
Speed limits within the Londiani area are going to be revised, bumps erected and proper signage provided.
The CS further ordered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to install speed detection cameras at the site of the accident.
The ministry will also hold consultative meetings with the East Africa Community to guide on the harmonization of motor vehicle inspection in the region.
He instructed county transport safety committees in all 47 counties to embark on road safety trainings for traders, pedestrians, school children and boda-boda operators.
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