Movement between Mutarakwa up to Maai Mahiu road in Kiambu county was blocked for several hours after three trailers rolled.
Police said one trailer that was transporting unrefined cooking oil overturned in unclear circumstance and the spilled on the highway which became slippery.
A few minutes later, other two trailers that were passing along that section skidded along that slippery section and rolled, blocking the highway.
Motorists who were using the highway heading to Nairobi and others heading towards Maai Mahiu had to stop.
A huge traffic jam resulted. A motorist James Magu said the section of the road is tricky since it is covered by Ngubi forest on both sides.
Magu said they had to call traffic police to assist them, since the jam was building since unaware motorists about the accident were still coming over.
“This section is so bad. It is like a box. You cannot overlap or use an alternative route since it is covered by forest on both sides. However, one escape route is far away and it’s only one. It passes at Gitithia and it is not tarmacked” Magu said.
However, within a short time, traffic police officers from Lari police station led by base commander chief inspector Noah Kipchumba arrived and started unblocking the highway.
They worked tirelessly to unblock the highway so as to create a path where a breakdown would pass to access the wreckage and clear the highway.
Some motorists had to avoid the section and started using the Nairobi Nakuru highway to access Naivasha.
Kipchumba had to assign another team of traffic officers to control vehicles in sections with diversions created by the Rironi up to Mau Summit contractor, which is under expansion.
The team which was led by his deputy inspector Jacqueline King’oo, concentrated so much at Nyambari trading center, where some vehicles were diverted to pass inside the town.
After several hours, the trailer’s wreckage were removed from the highway and traffic went back to normal.
Motorists lauded the police led by sub county commander Emily Ngaruiya for their quick response towards anything.
A matatu drive Charles Kinyi said Ngaruiya and the traffic police have never disregarded any report but attends to them as quickly as possible.
“The roads covering this region are very crucial. The Mutarakwa up to Maai Mahiu section is the easier route for Nyanza and Western, and most trailers traveling to neighbouring counties also uses the highway.
It’s also used by local and international tourists” Kinyi noted. “We have never alerted police of anything and failed to come” he added.
However, the motorists and especially the long distance transporters have urged the government to consider expanding that section.
“This section of the road has left us counting losses owing to it being shallow. We would pray to the government to consider laying strategies of expanding it” said David Kimani, a transporter.
