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Deputy President William Ruto’s wife, Rachel Ruto, during a past prayers meeting in Uasin Gishu. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA
RACHEL RUTO LEADS CLEANSING PRAYERS ON HIGHWAY BLACK SPOTS
Deputy President William Ruto’s wife, Rachel Ruto on Wednesday led cleansing prayers at the Salgaa-Sachangwan stretch along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway, ahead of the busy festive season.
Mrs Ruto was accompanied by various religious leaders from Nairobi, Nakuru and Eldoret towns and made three stops along the highway, praying and pouring anointing oil on the road.
The first stop was the Sachangwan memorial where over 100 people were burnt to death after an oil tanker exploded in 2009.
The clergymen then visited Migaa area where a multiple accident involving seven vehicles occurred last month.
The last stop was in Salgaa, at the exact spot where 12 people recently lost their lives in an accident involving an Eldoret bound matatu.
While addressing believers at Salgaa, Mrs Ruto said there is need for the church to also commission roads in the country the same way as political leaders commission newly-built roads.
“You do not need a big crowd like this to pray for our roads. This is something that should be done continuously,” she said.
FESTIVE SEASON
Rongai OCPD Mr Japheth Kioko said the traffic department had intensified night patrols on the roads in a bid to forestall road accidents on the highway.
Mr Kioko said the local leaders had also held a meeting with the livestock rearing residents and informed them on the dangers the animals posed to road users when left on the loose.
This after a tragic accident that recently claimed 12 lives when a driver hit a cow.
“We have done everything humanly possible to try and reduce road accidents. What remained was the prayers that have been made today,” said Mr Kioko.
The prayers were held as the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), in collaboration with the traffic department launched, a 24-hour surveillance system along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway in a bid to curb road accidents during this festive season.
The operation is set to be conducted from Mau Summit to Salgaa trading centre, a distance of about 26 kilometers.
