Seventeen pilgrims from a Mombasa parish set off for a prayer day in Subukia last month and never arrived. Their matatu was among vehicles caught in a series of collisions involving a lorry at Salama, Makueni, shortly after midnight on October 3, The Star reported.

On Wednesday, President William Ruto told an industrialisation summit at KICC that the government is speeding up negotiations to dual the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, and that the road will be dualled "all the way from Mombasa to Malaba," Kenyans.co.ke reports. Treasury documents point to a four-lane carriageway, with tolling among the financing options.

That commitment is welcome. But Kenyans can be forgiven for listening with one eye on the calendar.

Promises are cheap; a single carriageway is deadly

The country's main trade corridor still carries heavy trucks, buses, matatus and private cars on a single lane in each direction across long stretches. Every overtaking decision becomes a gamble. Police said the lorry driver in the Salama crash failed to keep to his lane while overtaking, The Star reported, which is exactly the kind of error a divided highway is designed to make survivable.

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr has pushed for the dualling to be fast-tracked, warning that delay costs lives, according to Kenyans.co.ke. The Motorists Association of Kenya, after an October 25 crash that the same outlet reports killed 22 passengers, accused authorities of ignoring long-standing safety concerns.

The negotiations, financing talks and feasibility studies will take time. KeNHA's director general met a local bank about financing only this week, Kenyans.co.ke notes. Realistically, the full project is years away. The question is what happens to travellers in the meantime.

What can be done before the first contract is signed

  • Install barriers, rumble strips and clear no-overtaking zones at known black spots such as Salama, as Mutula has asked KeNHA to do, copying measures already used at Salgaa and Nithi Bridge.
  • Step up speed and lane enforcement on night-time heavy traffic, when the Salama crash happened, and publish the results.
  • Add climbing lanes on steep sections so that slow trucks do not force dangerous overtaking.
  • Station ambulances and trauma teams along the corridor during the festive season, when traffic peaks.

Tolling must not become a trap

If tolling is used to finance the road, the government must be honest about it. A tolled highway is acceptable only if a free, safe alternative remains for those who cannot pay, and if the terms of any private deal are published. Kenyans have learnt from other projects that opaque financing can turn a public good into a long-term burden.

Ruto says a plan exists and details are coming soon. Good. Then publish a timeline with dates, and start the cheap, proven safety work this month. The families of Salama's victims have already paid the price of waiting. No other family should be asked to.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke; Mikenjau (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.