Uproar in Kirinyaga as parents protest deaths of school children in highway accidents

A police officer removes stones from Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway following protests by parents over road accidents on March 31, 2026/ ALICE WAITHERA

Parents from Kaminji primary school on Tuesday staged protests and barricaded the Kenol–Makutano–Sagana highway, demanding urgent action over rising road accidents that have claimed the lives of school children.

Five learners from the school have been knocked down by speeding vehicles this year alone, with three losing their lives and two still hospitalised.

“We want a safe passage for our children as they go to school. This is too much loss for our area and we want it stopped,” Mary Waithera said.

The government has expanded the highway into a dual carriageway and the project is 93 per cent done.

President William Ruto in January inspected the 83-kilometre stretch from Kenol in Murang’a to Marua in Nyeri, part of the Great North Road and the Trans-African Highway corridor.

While the road is expected to ease transport and boost economic activity, residents said incomplete pedestrian infrastructure has exposed them to danger.

Several footbridges and safe crossing points are yet to be completed, forcing pupils and other pedestrians to cross the busy highway at great risk.

Everlyn Mwikali accused authorities of ignoring repeated pleas to install speed bumps and clearly marked zebra crossings.

“We have tried to air our grievances to the relevant authorities but no one has responded. That is why we have decided to protest so that the government can hear us,” she said.

She added that parents now live in constant fear. “We are always worried that we might receive a call that our children have been killed while going to or from school,” she said.

Among the notorious vehicles are those transporting miraa which are driven at dangerous speed.

Dennis Kariuki, another parent, said although the expanded road has boosted business, it has come at a heavy cost.

“While we’re happy that this road has improved business activities, it has also caused the death of many of our children,” he said.

The residents are now calling on the Kenya National Highways Authority to urgently install speed calming measures and proper signage along the stretch. They also want stricter enforcement of traffic rules to curb reckless driving.

In the neighbouring Murang’a county, parents from Kimorori primary school in Kenol, Maragua constituency are forced to take turns in helping their children to cross the highway in the morning and in the evening.

The Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway that is 93 percent complete and passes through Murang'a, Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties/ ALICE WAITHERA

The school has also pleaded for an overpass to allow the children to safely reach the institution.

The concerns come after an accident last week. A grade six pupil was killed on Saturday after being hit by a speeding vehicle near Gathoge trading centre along the Mwea–Embu stretch.

Witness Joseph Githiga said the driver of a saloon car lost control while attempting to manoeuvre through a traffic jam caused by an earlier accident.

“The driver was trying to bypass the jam when he veered off the road and hit the child,” he said, adding that the driver fled the scene as angry residents gathered.

Residents said accidents have become frequent in the area, with at least one life reportedly lost every two months. They blamed speeding vehicles, particularly miraa transport vehicles, for the rising fatalities.

Pastor Peter Katana said the problem is worse in the evenings when children are heading home from school.

“That is the time we see these vehicles speeding as they transport miraa,” he said.

There are several schools and churches along the highway yet motorists continue to drive at high speed.

“This area has turned into a black spot. Drivers ignore the fact that there are schools and churches on both sides of the road,” Onesmus Githua said.

The body of the deceased pupil was moved to Kerugoya Level Five Hospital mortuary, while the vehicle involved was towed to Wang’uru police station.

Road accidents remain a major public safety concern in the country with thousands of lives lost every year.

According to data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the country records about 5,000 road fatalities annually with pedestrians accounting for most of the deaths.

Children, especially those walking to and from school, are among the most vulnerable road users due to lack of safe crossing infrastructure such as footbridges and zebra crossings.