A section of Chuka University students on Monday, October 28, 2024, staged demonstrations along the Meru-Nairobi Highway over the increasing cases of road accidents.
Videos seen by K24 Digital show the agitated students marching peacefully to the highway as they chanted about their discontent with police for failing to take action after a colleague was involved in a hit-and-run accident on the Meru-Nairobi Highway.
Police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the students and keep them off the highway.
According to the students, the victim was among three female students who were hit by a speeding vehicle on the Meru-Nairobi Highway. The students decried that continuous efforts to voice grievances and have proper safety measures in place did not bear fruit.
“This is to bring to your attention that Chuka University has lost a comrade in a tragic accident along the Meru-Nairobi Highway. We have continuously voiced our grievances to the County Government and KENHA for proper safety measures: bumps, barricades, and zebra crossings to protect our lives. But despite countless appeals and reminders, our calls for safety remain ignored. This is not the first time a comrade has died in an accident; we are sick and tired of this disregard,” the students said.
So far, the road has claimed several lives, local residents have faulted the government for failing to put appropriate measures in place to thwart road carnage.
On August 31, 2024, 12 people lost their lives after an accident involving a 10-seater van and a pick-up truck. In the unfortunate incident, the two vehicles collided head-on along the highway.
