Denyenye residents in Matuga sub-county of Kwale last wednesday held protests after a grade three pupil was hit by a speeding motorist while crossing the busy Mombasa-Lungalunga highway to school.
The Denyenye primary school pupil identified as Ali Omar Choyo sustained serious injuries after he was knocked down by a speeding tourist van.
Angry residents and parents now want the road department to start construction of bumps along the stretch where the public primary school located.
The school headmistress Mwanaharusi Ali said the section of the highway near the learning institution had become a black spot and called for the erection of bumps and road signage to minimize accident cases.
She said every year at least five cases of accidents are reported involving learners and asked the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to erect speed bumps soonest possible to slow down vehicles.
The headmistress said speeding cars posed danger to the lives of pupils and teachers and want the matter addressed urgently.
According to a community leader, Hamisi Nyale motorists speed in front of the school endangering the safety of school children.
Nyale said accidents along the busy road passing through Denyenye trading centre has increased and asked the relevant authorities to introduce traffic-calming measures to prevent cars speeding on the road outside the Denyenye and Ngombeni primary schools.
He said speed bumps that had earlier been erected on the road were removed by contractors in order to repave the surface.
Matuga sub county assistant county commissioner Robert Shunet who held a public meeting near the school said they will approach KeNHA to build speed bumps on the section of the road but warned residents against blocking the main highway.
The administrator said erection of speed bumps was discouraged by the fact that machete-wielding criminals took advantage to attack motorists at night as they slowed down near the bumps designed to decrease the speed of moving vehicles.
“Previously this area used to have speed bumps but was removed due to criminal activities but now that calm has been restored bumps would be put up as soon as possible” said Shunet.
By Brian Waweru and Hussein Abdullahi
