NAIROBI, November 28 – Bamburi Cement Group has introduced a Global Positioning System (GPS) fleet tracking and reporting device that will dramatically improve its ability to accurately monitor the activities its trucks.
Bamburi Cement Group Managing Director Mr Michel Puchercos said they had invested Sh100 million in the GPS project that tracks the location of trucks, their exact speed, improper and dangerous road practices online while transporting cement and other materials.
“We have invested heavily in the GPS system which will help us track our 1,000 trucks and the crew hauling Bamburi Cement products throughout the region,” he said.
The introduction of the GPS system comes after the successful road safety program dubbed, ‘Cementing the way to road safety campaign’ which was designed to curb the high frequency of road accidents by increasing road safety awareness and promoting behavioural change amongst transporters.
According to the Association of Kenya Insurers and the Traffic Police Department, social attitudes and driver behaviour are responsible for approximately 85 percent of road accidents in Kenya.
Mr Puchercos disclosed that the campaign had been positive and had seen a drastic reduction in road accidents and notable behavioural change among drivers and their turn boys.
Kenya has one of the highest road deaths in the world, with at least 510 fatalities for every 100,000 vehicles on the road every year compared to 260 for South Africa and 20 for the United Kingdom. Recent statistics from the Traffic Department point at an average of 2,460 fatalities on Kenya roads every year.
The country’s economy loses Sh3.9 billion yearly, which is equivalent to five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
Mr Puchercos pledged that the cement manufacturer would continue to invest heavily in road safety initiatives and had already dedicated over Sh100 million over the last two years for sustaining the road safety campaign.
He has appealed for increased private sector and government involvement in road safety in the region.
