NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 13 – NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 13 – The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has accused the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) of bearing responsibility for the death of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, citing prolonged failure to upgrade a key national highway where the fatal crash occurred.
In a statement issued on Saturday, MAK said Jirongo died in a head-on collision on a section of road that has recorded similar deadly crashes for more than two decades, arguing that the incident was both foreseeable and preventable.
The association blamed what it termed sustained institutional negligence by KeNHA, accusing the agency of failing to dual the A8 highway despite its heavy traffic volumes and strategic national and regional importance.
MAK rejected assertions that driver error is the primary cause of repeated head-on collisions along the corridor, maintaining that modern road engineering is designed to reduce the impact of human error through safer infrastructure, including divided carriageways and central barriers.
According to the lobby group, the absence of such safety features continues to expose motorists to unnecessary risk, despite years of public warnings and advocacy.
The Association further alleged that delays in dualling the highway have been driven by efforts to introduce tolling and private financing models, instead of prioritizing safety improvements using public funds already collected from motorists.
MAK said the recurring fatalities along the route point to a broader policy failure and called for accountability and leadership changes at KeNHA.
“The contrast is clear. Where roads have been properly redesigned and divided, such as the Kenol–Marua section, the once-frequent head-on collisions at places like Kambiti, Sagana, and Makuyu have virtually disappeared. This proves that deaths like that of Hon. Jirongo are preventable,” the association said.
“Hon. Cyrus Jirongo should not have died this way. His death is a tragic reminder that failure to act is itself an action, one with fatal consequences,” it added.
The Association called for the immediate prioritization of highway dualling without tolls, warning that continued inaction would lead to more avoidable deaths on Kenyan roads.
Jirongo died earlier on Friday following a road accident on the Naivasha–Nakuru highway.
Preliminary police reports indicate that the former legislator was driving towards Western Kenya when his vehicle collided head-on with a bus near the Karai area in Naivasha. He was pronounced dead at the scene after his car sustained extensive damage.
Several passengers aboard the bus were injured in the crash and were rushed to hospitals in Naivasha for treatment.
