The Nairobi-Mombasa highway has been listed among the most dangerous roads in the world in terms of accidents and fatalities.
The 482-kilometer highway claimed the lives of 27 people in a period of eight months in 2019, according to a report by Australian insurance firm Research by Budget Direct.
“In just an eight-month period of 2019, 27 people died on the Mombasa Road to Nairobi, Kenya. During this period, 2,181 people died in total from road crashes across Kenya – and 839 of these were pedestrians,” the report reads.
The findings echo a 2018 report by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) which ranked the A109 Road as the deadliest road in the country followed by Thika Super Highway and Waiyaki Way.
Other high-risk roads named in the NTSA report included Kangundo Road, Gilgil-Nakuru, Marigat-Loruk, and Jogoo Road.
The Research by Budget Direct report ranked the Accra to Cape Coast Road in Ghana as the deadliest road in Africa. There were 6,104 accidents and 7,465 casualties on this road between 2004 and 2011.
Other notorious roads on the continent are the Plumtree-Bulawayo-Harare-Mutare Highway in Zimbabwe and Cameroon’s Douala-Yaoundé Road.
In Europe, Ukraine’s M-06 connecting Kyiv to Chop is the most dangerous, with 757 accidents recorded last year.
The Pan-American Highway which crosses El Salvador from north to south was named the deadliest road in North and Central America.
In the Asia and Oceania region, the Dhaka-Sylhet highway (N2) in Bangladesh is the worst having claimed 250 lives in 2020 alone.
Research by Budget Direct used data from government websites, news reports, and transport associations to generate the report.
Do not ask what the…
Do not ask what the government is going to solve the accident problems on the named Kenya roads!
The question is simply what the reckless drivers are doing to follow the set speed limits to avoid unnecessary deaths? Deaths will continue to occur until the drivers follow safe driving rules.
Sure the government have build pretty good roads. I agree! But what is the users responsibility to drive responsibly and safely to reduce the amount of accident and deaths on the mentioned roads?
@ Richards, when the…
@ Richards, when the reckless drivers ignore traffic laws,yes the government has to step in and do something.Much like someone who has HIV Aids,and deliberately infects unsuspecting victims.Reckless drivers have to be removed from roads.They endanger public,and private lives with equal harm.They are not going to remove themselves.So yes, the government has to step in.This could be done in many ways.One is to impose heavy fines,two, revoke licenses for reckless driving for 5 years,three increase number of traffic police on these roads,and ofcourse hope that they are not corrupt.Cars also have to be inspected for roadworthy.
Post speed limit signs and…
Post speed limit signs and monitor the offenders through the digital camera system! I see no speed limit signs posted any where on this long stretch of road.
In Norway, the roads are monitored with high tech surveillance system which takes the photo of the offender and posts the speed limit above which he is driving! The fines are quite huge!
Any offender should be jailed for at least one without any monitory fines accepted! It is all about safety and saving lives!
How about make the Mombasa…
How about make the Mombasa road a 4-way driving road? Install some heavy guard rail to divide the 4 lanes!?
Simply that means the Mombasa bound traffic will use two lane with the far right lane designated for slow moving vehicles.
It is expensive to do it that but it will eventually improve the road safety record in Kenya!
Please develop the deserted…
Please develop the deserted road on the left side of the newer looking road to be used for one direction movement! In essence you will have the traffic going either direction completely isolated.
It is much safer and more efficient because no one will be veering over the shoulder of a large vehicle to pass! Head on collisions cause the most deaths on Kenyan roads!
I don’t know why no one has thought about this and Bairobi roads are divided that way!
Uuu like the desert looking…
Uuu like the desert looking landscape along the Mombasa/Nairobi road. Where is the famous Mutito Adei!!??
Is it safe to drive along this road route at night (I’m taking about confronting machete wagging criminals)!?? Are there some rest areas along the road or the bush is the place to go urinate, poop, etc??
Who owns all the land along…
Who owns all the land along this road – on both sides? DP Ruto? The arap mashamba guy?
The road to is not the…
The road to is not the problem.
The problem is the drivers and the owners of the vehicles using this road…
COMMON SENSE, RIGHT?
Make this a dual carriage…
Make this a dual carriage way with a central divider median all the way from Nairobi to Mombasa. Funds are available, hoarded by arap mashamba and the other so called ‘presidency’ for their own personal selfish family expenditures! What a shame!!!!
Put bumps on the freeway…
Put bumps on the freeway every 500 metres n u sold everything then we will b forced to use sgr otherwise let’s is shallap n continue to bury ourselves.