This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
On Sunday morning, residents in Mbaruk area closed down the Nakuru-Nairobi highway for nearly two hours to protest rising road deaths.
The protest was sparked by the death of a man who was run over by a trailer a few metres from Laikipia University Nakuru Campus.
According to Gilgil OCPD Emmanuel Opuru, the identity of the dead man could not be immediately established.
Residents claimed that the man was killed in a hit-and-run incident and had no identification documents on him.
Police deployed to collect the body were met with opposition from the residents, who pelted them with stones.
Residents, led by Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, have been calling for speed bumps to be erected on the four-kilometre stretch of the highway, which has three trading centres.
However, KeNHA Director Samson Murage said that the authority had erected rumble-strips on the identified section of the road and would look into other ways of improving pedestrians' safety.
Two weeks ago, a Laikipia University student was knocked down by a vehicle and sustained serious injuries, and in May, two men were killed after a trailer ran over them at the same spot.
Residents have vowed to take action if the authorities do not address the issue of road safety.
“This year alone, we have buried five people who have died in similar crashes. This is the sixth person and we are tired of these incidents. KeNHA has to act or we do it ourselves," said Elizabeth Wangui, a community policing leader.
