Statement On Ongoing Road Maintenance Along Southern ByPass

The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen today issued a Statement concerning the safety of the Southern bypass in Nairobi County where road maintenance is taking place.

Hon. Murkomen said he had received complaints from the public concerning the road where is an ongoing road maintenance which entails patching and resurfacing of the road to seal cracks that have emerged due to the ageing of the bitumen.

He said he was aware of recent accidents that have occurred on the road adding that investigations are ongoing to determine the causes of the accidents.

The Cabinet Secretary, conveyed his sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives in the accidents.

Hon.  Murkomen said that measures had been taken to prevent accidents and protect lives and to this end, the contractor has placed road signage and installed temporary bumps made of quarry dust in the freshly repaired areas.

He said the installation of these bumps and reduction of speed to 50KPH as indicated in the signage and as required in areas under construction will help to preserve the quality of the road and ensure the safety of road users.

Police have also been stationed near the construction sites to prevent motorists from speeding beyond the stipulated 50KPH limit.

He noted that the ongoing repairs have been slowed down by the huge traffic volumes on the road, which the contractor has to contend with, against the strict timelines set for completion of the maintenance works.

The CS said “As a ministry, we have discussed with KeNHA and the contractor to continue implementing further measures to enhance safety and prevent road crashes as they expedite construction works”.

All 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒 have been requested to adhere to the 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄 and the 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓 while approaching these sections.

Additionally, the CS directed KeNHA to issue a Public Notice to all motorists clearly identifying the sections under maintenance and the stipulated speed limit applicable to these sections.

He said the Ministry has started rolling out the pilot phase of the installation of speed cameras on the country’s major highways including the Southern bypass. He expressed confidence that the implementation of these measures we will improve road safety and protect lives.