Lives Cut Short on the Road: A Tragedy We Must Not Normalize

By Micah Wafula

The tragic road accident that claimed two lives along the Southern Bypass in Langata is more than just another news headline. It is a painful reminder that behind every reported crash are real people — and real lives that will never be the same again.

Two individuals woke up that day with plans, responsibilities, and loved ones waiting for them. Somewhere, families expected them home. Somewhere, conversations were left unfinished. Now, instead of ordinary routines, their families are facing sudden grief, unanswered questions, and the unbearable silence that follows unexpected loss.

In a fast-moving city like Nairobi, road accidents have become disturbingly common. We read about them, feel brief sadness, and then move on. But for the families affected, life does not move on so easily. For them, time freezes at the moment everything changed.

This is what makes such tragedies especially troubling — the growing sense that they are becoming normal. Roads built to ease transport and improve movement are turning into places of danger when speed, impatience, and carelessness take control. Infrastructure alone cannot save lives if discipline and responsibility are missing.

Authorities like the National Transport and Safety Authority continue to urge caution, but warnings are not enough without consistent enforcement — and without personal accountability from every road user. Every driver who speeds, every reckless overtake, every distracted moment behind the wheel carries consequences that can never be undone.

More importantly, road safety is not just about rules — it is about empathy. If every driver truly remembered that the person in the next car is someone’s parent, sibling, or child, perhaps we would slow down. Perhaps we would be more patient. Perhaps fewer families would receive devastating news.

As traffic resumes and the physical signs of the crash fade, the emotional scars will remain. Homes that once held laughter will now carry silence. Futures once filled with possibility have been permanently interrupted.

This tragedy should not be something we quickly forget. It should be something that changes how we think, how we drive, and how we value life on our roads.

Because no journey — no matter how urgent — is worth more than a human life.