By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 14 December 2025 - The death of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo in a crash on the Nakuru-Naivasha stretch has revived long-standing fears about one of Kenya’s most dangerous road corridors, with motorists now urging government agencies to finally act after two decades of stalled upgrades.
Jirongo died on Saturday morning when his Mercedes Benz collided head-on with a bus near Karai, a stretch well known to police and frequent users for repeated fatal crashes. Preliminary reports show he was travelling towards Western Kenya when the accident occurred. Several bus passengers were injured and taken to hospitals in Naivasha.
For the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), the tragedy is not simply another statistic — it is proof of what they describe as “predictable loss of life” on a highway they say has been neglected despite its heavy traffic and national importance.
In a statement, the lobby accused the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) of ignoring years of calls to dual the A8 highway, insisting Jirongo’s death — like many before it — could have been prevented.
“It is painful and unacceptable that one of our own has died in circumstances that have been foreseeable for decades. Head-on collisions are almost impossible to survive, yet we continue to allow two-way traffic on a road that carries thousands of vehicles daily,” the association said.
MAK dismissed claims that motorists are primarily to blame, arguing that modern road design anticipates and mitigates human error. Divided carriageways, central barriers and redesigned junctions, they said, are proven to dramatically reduce fatal crashes.
More from Kenya
They pointed to the Kenol–Marua section as an example of what proper engineering can achieve. “Once notorious for deadly collisions, places such as Kambiti, Sagana and Makuyu have seen those incidents virtually disappear,” MAK noted.
The group further criticised delays linked to proposals for tolling and private financing, accusing authorities of prioritising revenue models over public safety.
Calling for immediate dualling of the highway without tolls, MAK warned that more families will suffer similar losses if action continues to stall.
“Hon. Cyrus Jirongo should not have died this way. His passing is a stark reminder that failure to act is itself a decision — one with fatal consequences. Enough is enough,” the statement read.
