Nairobi — Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued new measures aimed at curbing increased cases of road traffic accidents in the country.
The measures come following rising cases of road accidents in the country with school-going children accounting for part of the fatalities recorded.
In the measures, Murkomen subsequently directed that school transportation shall not be allowed to operate between 10 pm and 5 am in line with the Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017, effective immediately.
"It is prudent to enhance safety especially now that the schools are closing and our children are traveling home," he said.
Murkomen, in addition, directed that all school children must be allocated seats with functional seatbelts put on at all times with school vans, buses, and matatus that are unroadworthy set to be removed from the roads with immediate effect.
"My Ministry is working collaboratively with other Government agencies and stakeholders in the transport sector to put in place stringent measures that enhance road safety and save lives," he said.
Five students from Mbihi Secondary were the latest to have died on Tuesday following a road accident around Delamere Shop along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
On Public Service Vehicles (PSV) Murkomen announced that a multi-agency clinic shall be formed to verify and validate all speed limiters from April 25, 2023, to May 31, 2023.
"All stakeholders including public transport operators, speed limiter vendors, and the National Police Service will be incorporated into this multi-agency exercise," he said.
Beginning June 1, 2023, all PSV drivers and commercial vehicle drivers, upon the expiry of their licenses, will be subjected to a mandatory driver retest before renewal of the driving licenses.
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The drivers will equally be subjected to a mandatory medical fitness test by a qualified medical practitioner before the renewal of their driving licenses.
Whereas a section of certain roads has been deemed to be blackspots, Murkomen directed the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Road Authority (KURA), and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to work expeditiously to complete the ongoing road safety audits on all blackspots and ensure safety interventions, including installation of signage, reflectors, and street lighting within the next 30 days.
"I have further instructed the road agencies to ensure cameras have been installed at all blackspots. The first phase is to be completed within four months," he said.
According to NTSA, Kenya recorded 1, 072 deaths from road accidents between January and March 2023.
Motorcycles and private vehicles contributed the highest number of fatalities
between January and March this year at 284 and 272 deaths respectively.
