Makueni County Commissioner Maalim Mohammed has cautioned motorists along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway to exercise caution during this festive season to avoid road carnage.
The commissioner noted an increase of accidents along the highway and attributed the carnage to careless driving.
He said since January 115 fatalities had been recorded while 322 people had been injured 134 of them critically.
“Majority of accidents occur because of careless overtaking, speeding, drunk driving and tiredness of drivers especially those travelling long distances like trucks,” said Mohammed while addressing the media in his Wote office on Friday.
He said that police will conduct impromptu crackdowns along the highway to ensure that motorists and travelers adhere both to traffic rules and Covid-19 regulations.
The administrator also warned travelers against boarding overloaded vehicles that would expose them to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As people travel for Christmas and New Year celebrations, they should take note of the existence of Covid-19 and adhere to government protocols to control the spread of the disease,” he said.
Maalim said that the security agencies will be on high alert to ensure that guidelines given by the government on Covid-19 are followed.
He disclosed that so far 2,785 vehicles had been impounded, 78 bars closed and 320 revellers arrested for flouting the Ministry of Health protocols.The county commissioner assured residents of security during the festive season saying police will be deployed to man crime prone areas across the county.
“We shall have police manning different sectors to boost security especially in towns that are likely to see an increase in criminal activities during the festive season,” said the county commissioner.
By Roselyne Kavoo/Patrick Nyakundi
