It was once a desolate dry Nyika where the Maasai and Ameru cattle rustlers would meet often to exchange notes. Sulbuigaa was a Maasai war hero (Laing'o) who resided there until the Meru Lamare forces showed him fire around 1900. However, by the look of things, his vengeful spirit still lingers....
In the last 50 years, Sulbuigaa has gained notoriety for all the wrong reasons - it has claimed more than 400 innocent lives through horrible road accidents. After each devastating carnage, the government sends its representatives to make hollow promises on how the inherent poor road design would be fixed once and for all.
These promises are yet to see the light of day!
Sulbuigaa, the black spot, was born in 1970 when a new road was designed to link up Nanyuki with both Isiolo and Meru towns. The government Civil Engineer in charge definitely received a hefty kickback from the Mzungu large scale farmers of Gusichi, Kisima and Emburi to have the new road pass through their estates for obvious economic fallout.
By doing this, the road from Timau was forced to take a path where it had to have a fifteen kilometer detour culminating at the subject slaughter spot. To understand the reason the angels of death celebrate at this spot every so often, let us learn a few basics of a commercial vehicle braking system.
Once in motion, trucks and buses are stopped by brake linings that are built into the brake drums that are part of the wheel assembly.
When brakes are applied, the whole ensemble gets hot as the rolling energy is dissipated into friction to slow and eventually stop the vehicle. When the resulting heat becomes too much, the lining and drum contact looses grip due to the heat. This is the phenomenon that causes truck and bus accidents on steep road stretches of Sulbuigaa and the other infamous Salgaa of Nakuru.
A road designed for trucks should not have a 15 km stretch of continuous brake application as the inevitable overheating will create the brake-fade that ultimately results in accidents! Every qualified civil engineer should know this... the reason they are picked from the top KCSE A-list!
The salvation of Sulbuigaa will be realized when the road is reverted back to the old Kangangi road that joined Timau directly with Ntumburi through Ngare Ndare forest and the famous Lewa conservancy.
All other promises by government functionaries and occasional prayers to exorcise the demons of Sulbuigaa are bouts of hot-air as recently decreed by the supreme court of Kenya!
Meanwhile, much condolences to the families of the 12 Kenyans who lost their lives in the latest carnage at Sulbuigaa, the black spot that often turns crimson red!
Engineer Kiruki Mwithimbu is the Author of 'Living on the Edge' available from NURIA bookstore Nairobi, PEAKS hotel Nanyuki and Wapendwa Bookshop Meru.
