Accident at Kamatira Black Spot Renews Calls for Upgrade of Kapenguria–Lodwar Highway
As per sources in the counties, two of the involved persons are seriously injured and are currently undergoing treatment at Kapenguria County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The Kapenguria/Lodwar Highway. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
There is renewed concern over the safety standards of the Kapenguria–Lodwar Highway following an accident that occurred on the Kamatira section, which is one of those areas that had long been identified as a black spot because of the numerous accidents that had been recorded there before. The current accident came at a time when people were heading to Lodwar to attend a cultural function.
Also on Wednesday, Governor of West Pokot County Simon Kachapin received a 45-member procession of travelers from Isiolo County who had been involved in the accident end route to Lodwar to participate in the annual Tobong’u Lore Festival celebration. These are the travelers whose vehicle had been involved in the accident at the notorious Kamatira part of the Kapenguria-Lodwar highway, a road with sharp corners and heavier commercial vehicle traffic.
As a mark of solidarity and support, Governor Kachapin received the travelers at his residence as plans were underway for their repatriation back home. After consultation with the Isiolo County officials, the County Government of West Pokot offered a county bus to facilitate their safe journey back to Isiolo.
As per sources in the counties, two of the involved persons are seriously injured and are currently undergoing treatment at Kapenguria County Teaching and Referral Hospital. The other passengers are mildly injured and have since been treated and discharged.
Governor Kachapin praised the quick response by health personnel at the referral hospital, adding that the hospital’s new CT scan machine also played an important role in handling the health crisis. He noted that access to modern health equipment enabled doctors to quickly examine patients, without which patients would have had to be referred to other hospitals outside the county.
This incident has reignited fear among the residents as well as among road users who have been raising concern over the years regarding the danger posed by the Kamatira road. This is considering the narrow nature of the road, the curves, as well as the lack of visibility along the road, which can be even more dangerous considering the large number of trucks that move along the road transporting clinker products from the Sebit Cement Factory.
Community leaders and residents have now started calling on the national government to expedite the upgrading process of the Kapenguria-Lodwar Highway, with emphasis on the Kamatira segment. They are requesting an expansion of the road, signposts, construction of guardrails, among other measures to prevent frequent road accidents. The Kapenguria/Lodwar Highway is an important link road between West Pokot and Turkana, as well as between Turkana and the rest of Northern Kenya. With an anticipated increase in traffic on the road in the years to come, locals have warned that a failure to handle the safety aspects at Kamatira will see many more accidents in the future. The recent accident is therefore the driving force behind urgent measures to ensure safety on this major road.
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