Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has raised an alarm over the poor state of the Kisumu-Busia highway.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 16, Omtatah described the highway as one of the most dangerous roads in the region.
He noted that the road which traverses Kisumu, Vihiga, Siaya, and Busia Cunties has remained riddled with potholes, poor road markings, inadequate signage, narrow lanes, and dangerous bottlenecks.
“For years, the Kisumu-Busia road has been a source of pain and frustration for thousands of motorists, passengers, traders, and families who rely on it every day.
“What should be a critical transport and trade corridor has become one of the most dangerous roads in our region,” said Omtatah.
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The Busia Senator mentioned that the poor state of the road has contributed to a number of road accidents, many of which have resulted in fatalities.
“Every week, we hear of another tragic accident. Families lose loved ones. Breadwinners never make it home.
“Children are left without parents. Vehicles are damaged, businesses disrupted, and communities forced to bear the heavy cost of a problem that can and should be fixed,” he stated.
Senator Omtatah called on KeNHA to immediately repair the potholes and damaged sections along the entire Kisumu-Busia corridor.
He also demanded a clear roadmap for the upgrading and expansion of the highway, including the dualling of identified blackspots and high-traffic market centers.
Further he demanded for urgent implementation of road safety measures, including proper signage, visible road markings, pedestrian crossings, and traffic calming measures in school and market areas.
“The people of Kisumu, Vihiga, Siaya, and Busia deserve safe roads. They deserve leadership that responds to their concerns before lives are lost, not after,” said the Busia Senator.
This comes a day after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) disclosed that 2,150 have been killed in road accidents since the beginning of the year.
Speaking on Monday, June 15, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa said the majority of people killed in road crashes are pedestrians.
“We have 2,150 people who died on the roads this year, which is an increase of around 11 percent from last year, and of these, around 836 are pedestrians.
“They form the majority, followed by motorcyclists; we have 188 drivers who have died on the road,” said Kondiwa.
The NTSA Director General warned that the country risks losing up to 10 percent of the GDP by 2030 if no intervention is done to curb the road accidents.
