Over the last four decades, the Nithi Bridge black spot in Tharaka Nithi County has claimed over 150 lives in horrific road accidents since the 1980s when it was commissioned.
The bridge, designed with a steep ascent and then descent, makes it difficult for drivers from both sides to navigate.
As such, personal and Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) have plunged into the waters below the bridge, claiming lives and leaving several maimed.
Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has since called on the government to act promptly as the bridge is one of the most dangerous bridges (blackspots) in the country.
In an interview, Njuki stated that despite President William Ruto pledging to fix the bridge during the presidential campaigns, he is yet to act. According to the Governor, improvement works of the bridge are estimated to be in the region of Ksh1 billion.
“The president promised to avail some funds once the economy improves. It requires about Ksh 1billion,” Governor Njuki revealed.
At least four people were confirmed dead after a bus rolled at the Nithi Bridge black spot along the Meru-Nairobi highway on Sunday noon.
Also Read: Tharaka Nithi: At Least 30 People Killed After Bus Plunges into River
Nithi Bridge
The Nithi River Bridge connects Meru County to Embu through Tharaka Nithi along the Thuci-Nkubu Highway.
It was built from a British grant and opened by the Duke of Edinburgh (the late Prince Philip) during Queen Elizabeth II’s last visit to Kenya in 1980’s.
The death toll from crashes at the killer bridge in Tharaka Nithi County is in the hundreds.
At least four people were confirmed dead after a bus rolled at the Nithi Bridge black spot along the Meru-Nairobi Highway in April 2024.
However, the worst accident at the bridge since the commissioning of the road occurred on August 25, 2,000. The black spot hit media headlines after at least 45 people died when a passenger bus plunged into the Nithi River in eastern Kenya’s Meru district.
Government Plan to Redesign Bridge
On March 14, 2023, former transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen announced plans to redesign the killer bridge as part of efforts to reduce road accidents.
Speaking during a meeting with a section of leaders from Tharaka Nithi County, the CS said that the new designs would eliminate the sharp corner at the bridge and convert a section of the road into a dual carriageway to prevent vehicle collisions.
Also Read: Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki surrenders to EACC
“There could even be better ways of straightening that road. To design it to make it straight from the bridge up as you go towards Meru,” Murkomen said.
Additionally, he revealed the Ministry’s plan to install digital cameras on major highways in a bid to monitor traffic offenders.
“We have a plan in the ministry of ensuring that all our highways are monitored by digital cameras. A program that we hope to do by the end of this year,” he added.
Murkomen’s remarks came after a tour by President William Ruto in the region where area leaders called for urgent intervention.
Similarly, Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki emphasized the need to conserve human life and called on the government to prioritize solving the issue at hand.
“Our prayer is that even though we have no resources, there is no cost we can put to a life. So that should be given a priority because saving lives really, is the real essence of supporting human beings,” Muthomi noted.
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