By Robert Mutasi 
A woman has embarked on a 133-kilometre walk from Malaba to Eldoret to raise awareness about road safety along the busy Eldoret-Malaba highway.
Joyce Jepkosgei, Secretary of the Kenya Heavy Commercial Vehicle Operators Society (KHCVOS), started the journey at the Malaba border and is expected to pass through parts of Bungoma County before completing the walk in Eldoret.
Jepkosgei said the campaign is aimed at encouraging motorists, pedestrians and other road users to exercise greater caution along the highway, which carries heavy traffic and serves as a major transport corridor between Kenya and Uganda.
On reaching Eldoret, she plans to visit survivors of a recent fuel tanker explosion that claimed lives and left several people injured.
The accident happened near Paul Boit High School along the Eldoret-Malaba highway after a fuel tanker overturned following a collision with a saloon car.
Fuel spilled from the overturned tanker before it caught fire and exploded as members of the public reportedly gathered at the scene to siphon fuel.
The incident resulted in several deaths and injuries, renewing concerns about the dangers posed by motorists and members of the public who approach accident scenes involving fuel tankers.
Jepkosgei said she would plant trees at selected points along her route in memory of people who lost their lives in the accident.
She urged members of the public to avoid rushing to accident scenes to collect goods or fuel that may have spilled from damaged vehicles.
“Let us be cautious when using our roads and also love truck drivers and appreciate the work they are doing,” Jepkosgei said.
She encouraged residents to assist truck drivers when their vehicles develop mechanical problems or are involved in incidents instead of attacking them or stealing from their vehicles.
Jepkosgei warned that fuel is highly flammable and can cause fatal fires when handled without proper precautions.
She said previous tanker disasters, including the Sachangwan tanker fire, should serve as a reminder of the dangers associated with siphoning fuel from overturned tankers.
The campaign is Jepkosgei’s second major road-safety awareness initiative.
She previously undertook a two-and-a-half-month, 922-kilometre walk from Malaba to Mombasa to advocate for the welfare and rights of truck drivers while promoting safer road use.
The latest journey was flagged off by KHCVOS President Sudi Mwatela, who called on the Government to accelerate plans to dual the Northern Corridor highway to the Malaba border.
Mwatela said the volume of traffic using the route had increased significantly, creating pressure on the existing road infrastructure.
He said expanding the highway would help improve road safety while reducing congestion along the major transport corridor.
The Malaba-Eldoret route is heavily used by commercial trucks transporting goods between Kenya and Uganda and forms part of the wider Northern Corridor linking the Port of Mombasa to landlocked countries in East and Central Africa.