Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen Monday announced measures that the ministry is undertaking, through the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), to reduce the number of road accidents in the country.
Speaking during the inauguration of the new Board of the NTSA, Murkomen said there is an urgent need to address the rampant cases of road accidents that have so far led to the loss of 1,072 lives between January and March this year.
While this number is lower compared to last year’s 1,159 deaths in the same period, the CS said the numbers paint a bleak picture of the state of road safety in the country which had degenerated into a catastrophe.
“According to the latest report, of the 1,072 people killed on our roads, 362 are pedestrians, 302 are motorcyclists, 184 are passengers, 101 are pillion passengers, 104 are drivers while 19 are pedal cyclists.”
“The number of passenger deaths is attributed to speeding vehicles, crossing at undesignated places, distracted driving or walking and drunk driving,” he said.
Murkomen said he had instructed NTSA to implement immediate measures that will deal with reckless driving and road crashes, especially during the Easter period when many Kenyans are traveling to different parts of the country.
Among the measures that will be undertaken include heightened surveillance to crack down on unroadworthy vehicles, and close collaboration with the Interior Ministry to arrest reckless drivers.
“Drivers should avoid using their phones while driving, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and driving without, or carrying passengers who are not, wearing safety belts.”
“Besides this, I wish to urge passengers to observe traffic rules by stopping at green lights and avoid crossing the road in non-designated and unsafe
areas” stated the CS.
The report by NTSA further indicates that Machakos County had the highest number of driver fatalities with many of the accidents occurring along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
Nakuru and Meru Counties had the highest number of motorcyclist and pillion passenger fatalities (at 33 and 30 deaths respectively) while Nairobi and Kiambu Counties had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities (at 56 and 45 deaths respectively) during the same period.
Overall, Nairobi recorded the highest number of fatalities at 101 deaths many of which occurred along the Eastern bypass and Outering road.
Nakuru was second with 93 deaths within the same period.
Motorcycles and private vehicles contributed the highest number of fatalities between January and March this year at 284 and 272 deaths respectively.
Sunday and Saturday toped in the number of road accident deaths at 192 and 184 respectively, with a combination of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday accounting for 48.4 percent of fatal accidents, with most of the accidents occurring between 1700 and 2300 hours – the peak being 20000 hours.
This was attributed to the high travel numbers, speeding especially along major highways, and reduced enforcement.
In terms of gender, the majority of those who died from road accidents are men at 83 percent, attributed to risky behavior on the roads, and distracted driving/walking/riding.
Murkomen said the ministry was in the final stages of developing a Driving School Management and Licensing Module that would ensure only competent and qualified drivers are allowed on the roads.
“The module is meant to eliminate cases of irregular acquisition of driving licenses that have seen self-trained drivers acquire driving licenses without going through the requisite training and tests,” he said.
This is in addition to the ongoing plans by the Ministry to deploy an Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) that would see the installation of CCTV cameras in 81 junctions in Nairobi, installation of traffic and speed cameras along the highways – especially black spots, and operationalization of a transport data center and road transport dashboard.
This will assist in curbing reckless driving by introducing instant fines
and demerit point system for ‘ill-behaved’ motorists.
“To expand the inspection of vehicles, the Government is working on a module that would bring on board the private sector to reduce delays at existing inspection centers.”
Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar said the ministry will conduct the registration, training, and capacity enhancement for boda boda operators to enhance safety awareness and observance of traffic rules.
“We will undertake the rollout of smart driving licenses in collaboration with the private sector to fast-track the process and make it as seamless as possible,” he said.
The PS said plans were underway to develop an accident reporting platform for citizens to notify the relevant agencies in
cases of accidents, and work with medical practitioners and the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), to ensure accident victims get professional care.
