Weeks after staging a dramatic walk-to-work to protest matatu impunity, residents of Kiserian and Ongata Rongai are back on the road, this time with week-long activities to promote road safety, according to the region’s leader, Fred Gori. The Road Safety Week is organized by the Kiserian and Ongata Rongai Residents Association (KORRA) in partnership with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Scheduled for November 28, 2016 to December 2, 2016, it is geared at creating a safer, saner and cleaner Magadi Road. Various activities, including a human caravan, presentation of petitions to both the county government and the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure and awareness for road users, particularly commuters, matatu operators and private motorists, are planned along Magadi Road.
The culmination of the events is a major meeting on Friday December 2, 2016, at the Laiser Hill Academy starting at 9.00am.
Mr Gori, the KORRA chairman, regretted that lives were being lost indiscriminately due to recklessness by motorists and challenged the authorities to step up the war for road safety especially during the festive season. “When motorists get away with murder, either due to poor prosecution or negligence, then we are fighting a losing battle,” said Mr. Gori. “Offenders must be punished according to the law to stop further loss of lives.”
The road safety event also casts the spotlight on the poor state of roads in Kiserian and Ongata Rongai, two areas which have been experiencing population explosion even as available infrastructure falls apart. Motorists plying the 20km long Nairobi–Ongata Rongai route often spend up to three hours on the road during rush hour.
[crp]
