The Eastern Bypass near the Thika Superhighway has been the subject of conversation online among many motorists who were concerned over the traffic situation and safety of the road.
In particular, Kenyans online highlighted the accident involving three vehicles along the road on Sunday, October 30, that claimed six lives.
In addition, the motorists piled pressure on transport stakeholders to address the design flaws in a bid to prevent future accidents.
Speaking exclusively to Kenyans.co.ke, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) Director General, Silas Kinoti affirmed that the Eastern Bypass is an ongoing project that will be completed in January 2023.
He added that the Authority will take into account all the ideas and engage various stakeholders on the best strategy to address the design flaws of the road.
"First thing we need to understand is that the Eastern Bypass. It's an ongoing project that will be completed by January 2023. Hence we will be engaging with various stakeholders to assess and see what we can improve."
He added that the Authority was engaging with other stakeholders to erect temporary bumps in a bid to restrain excessive speed along the highway.
"This morning, we signed a road safety audit to go and see what we can improve on the Eastern Bypass. However, this is not an isolated case as it is a continuous road project that we carry out across the major highways," he stated.
"We will be erecting temporary bumps to restrain traffic but I urge motorists to adhere as they play a big part in road safety. "
He added that due to traffic flow, KURA could not close the road until the completion of the project, but affirmed that various road signs had been put in place to aid motorists plying the route.
The Authority's Director-General, however, noted that motorists also played a huge part in adhering to the stipulated rules.
"In other cases, some motorists end up speeding along the road, whose speed limit is set at 40 kilometres per hour."
The KURA DG also alluded to the Sunday afternoon accident, pointing out that the accident did not have anything to do with the design of the road.
"Like for instance, in the case of the accident, the driver of the Prado was drunk and he hit a tuk-tuk that was joining the highway on the wrong side of the road, there was no situation regarding the state of the road there," he pointed out while emphasizing on the importance of adherence.
He added that the Authority was working with law enforcement officers to reinforce the said laws.
"We all have a responsibility to take care of the lives on the road," he noted.
