Nairobi — Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a number of stringent 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, CS 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," he said.
"The number of passenger deaths is attributed to speeding vehicles, crossing at undesignated places, distracted driving or walking and drunk driving," he said.
CS Murkomen stated that he had instructed NTSA to implement immediate measures that will deal with reckless driving and road crashes especially during the Easter period where many Kenyans are travelling to different parts of the country.
Among the measures that will be undertaken include heightened surveillanceto 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 stoppingbat 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 fatality 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.
The Cabinet Secretary further noted that the Ministry was in the final stages of developing 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 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 centre and road transport dashboard.
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CS Murkomen stated that 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 centres."
On his part, Transport 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.
The PS added that 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.
CS Murkomen and PS Daghar also congratulated the new board, led by its chair Aden Noor Ali, on their appointment and expressed their readiness to work closely with them to ensure they deliver on their mandate.
