Meru bans roadside trading and heavy trucks after four die in highway crash

Municipal board moves to clear traders and motorcycle taxis from Meru-Nairobi Highway following Thursday night’s accident near Riverland

By Brian Gitonga

The Meru Town Municipal Board yesterday announced a crackdown on roadside traders and motorcycle taxi operators along the Meru-Nairobi Highway following Thursday night’s accident that killed four people and seriously injured 16 others near Rubis Petrol Station in Riverland.

The board also resolved to ban trucks weighing more than nine tonnes from entering Meru town, directing heavy commercial vehicles to use existing bypass roads to reduce congestion and the risk of further accidents.

Speaking at a press briefing at Meru Town Municipality Hall, board chairperson Kirimi Mung’ania expressed condolences to the bereaved families and called on motorists and traders to prioritise their safety.

“I ask people in Meru town to be mindful of where they conduct their businesses, and drivers to consider the lives of others, because human life is precious,” Mung’ania said.

He said county enforcement officers would immediately begin removing traders and motorcycle taxi operators from the stretch between Riverland and Kathita Bridge, an area he described as particularly dangerous.

“We are not going to tolerate people selling merchandise along the roadside. You find maize roasters and motorcycle taxi riders picking up and dropping off passengers in that section — all of them in serious danger,” he said.

Mung’ania recalled a previous accident at the same location involving a vehicle with brake failure, warning that continued roadside trading was inviting further tragedy. He said the municipality would erect road signs directing heavy vehicles to designated bypass routes, including roads connecting Meru National Polytechnic and the Meru-Maua Highway.

“The government has constructed bypass roads precisely for this purpose. Lorries above nine tonnes have no business entering Meru town and causing congestion and accidents,” he said.

Meru town Municipal board members during the press briefing. Photo by Brian Gitonga

Mung’ania also appealed to the national government to honour its commitment to upgrade the Kathita-Meru National Polytechnic road to a dual carriageway, saying the project would significantly ease congestion and improve pedestrian safety.

Meru Town Municipal Manager Gitobu Nkanata, who also offered condolences to the affected families, acknowledged that previous efforts to relocate traders and motorcycle taxi operators had met with resistance. He said some operators feared losing customers if they moved away from the busy highway, and that local interference had undermined relocation efforts.

“I have personally gone there many times and spoken to motorcycle taxi riders. I showed them a safer place to operate from, but local interference has made them believe they will lose customers if they move,” Nkanata said.

He warned that roadside trading would no longer be permitted in Riverland, Gakoromone, Gitimbine and Makutano, noting that motorists could lose control of their vehicles without warning.

Nkanata confirmed that Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia had authorised the board to take all measures within its legal mandate to prevent similar accidents.

“We have been given permission by the governor to do everything humanly possible. The board has powers under the Urban Areas and Cities Act to remove people from the highway,” he said, adding that the national government had previously issued directives discouraging roadside trading following public concern over highway deaths.

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