By Moses Michira | Wednesday, Dec 13th 2017 at 00:00

Tuesday's accident on the Sachagwanstretch of the Nakuru-Eldoret road that involved 13 vehicles on 12th December, 2017. [PHOTO Harun Wathari]

An alternative to Kenya’s most dangerous road section between Nakuru and Mau Summit would cost an estimated Sh1.4 billion to reconstruct, but construction would take at least four years.

A contractor is yet to be identified from four finalists in a selection process that is currently running behind schedule, exposing more road users to deaths through crashes.

More than 100 people have been killed on the 17km Sobea-Sachangwan road section from last month, including a dawn crash on November 20 that killed all passengers of an Eldoret-bound matatu.

National Transport and Safety Authority classified the section as the worst in Kenya, recommending urgent separation of lanes to prevent head-on crashes that often lead to deaths.

Already, an investigation commissioned by NTSA has identified a major fault on the road design that is compounding the dangers presented by lane indiscipline and free-wheeling among the heavy trucks.

Tendering timelines for the Rironi-Mau Summit road indicate that the project agreement is scheduled to be signed next Wednesday but it is highly unlikely to happen since the process is at least six months late.

Deadliest stretch

An Indian firm and three European contractors are the finalists for the lucrative tender to dual the 235-kilometre road that also covers the deadliest stretch, at a cost of Sh180 billion.

Speaking at the scene on Tuesday, Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter said the Government would build a dual carriageway from Nakuru to Mau Summit starting next month. This week the state will put up street lights to improve visibility.

Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) Director General Peter Mundinia told The Standard the works might take long to start because the winning bidder would still have to go out and find a financing partner. “It is a very complex process which will take very long to complete,” Mr Mundinia said in an interview.

He added that motorists would pay to use the highway every time through a tolling arrangement, which was last used in Kenya about 30 years ago.

Before the capital-intensive re-construction happens, NTSA has proposed short-term separation of the road by building a kerb in the middle to eliminate conflict between oncoming vehicles.

“This would greatly aid in reducing the number of crashes in the subject area especially the often high-fatality head-on collisions,” the authority said in its report on the deadly section.

It was however skeptical that the measures would be taken immediately “because it would involve expansion of the carriageway and therefore would require adequate time and enough resources to plan for the project”.

Kenha on the other hand favours building a landing ramp to stop heavy commercial vehicles when their brakes fail. Mundinia said trucks were responsible for most fatal crashes.

“A landing ramp made of sand would help vehicles stop even after losing brakes,” said the Director General, referring to the planned developments on the road targeting heavy commercial vehicles.

Contracts for the construction of the sand landing ramps are scheduled to be signed by June 2018, as a stop-gap measure.

He however blamed driver indiscipline for most of the crashes, specifically where cars are driving on the wrong lanes especially when overtaking.