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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 26 April 2015

Day tormentors of road users in Machakos cried for sanity

Furious boda boda operators interrupted transport along the Machakos-Kangundo road following the death of a colleague who was killed at night in a hit-and-run incident.
The cyclists barricaded the road near St Valentine Secondary School with stones causing a two-hour traffic snarl-up.
Their chairman Allan Musembi said the number of accidents on the road has been rising.
“For the last two weeks, we have lost three of our hard-working members and others have suffered serious injuries in accidents,” he said.
The operators demanded the construction of bumps on the stretch and other black spots.
“We want a bump constructed here and another one near Garden Hotel, Miwani on the Kyumbi-Machakos road and at Machakos Girls’ High School on the Machakos-Kitui road,” Musembi said.
Musembi accused local leaders of failing to address the problem despite operators raising their concerns.
Hawk-eyed anti-riot police officers lobbed teargas canisters when the operators marched to the Machakos Police Station to demand the release of colleagues arrested during the demonstration.
The World Health Organisation in 2009 rated Kenya as a country with the most road accidents in East Africa.
Over 2,000 people die each year from accidents, with most being in the middle and low income segments. Public service vehicles and two-wheeled transporters are the biggest cause of road deaths.
According to official statistics, three out of 100 people, who are involved in boda boda accidents, lose their lives.

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