NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 19 – Senators on Wednesday called for strict enforcement of traffic regulations amid the increasing cases of road accidents in the country.
In the past three days, 22 people have been killed in road accidents across the country and it is this worrying trend that has fuelled the senator’s latest push for action.
The latest fatalities related to road accidents were five students from Mbihi Secondary who on Tuesday died following a road accident around Delamere Shop along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot challenged Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to fulfill his promise on using technology to control the increasing cases of road accidents.
“We have cameras on our roads but they are not working. During his vetting, Murkomen promised to do a lot of things which he now oughts to start doing,” he said.
The Cabinet on Tuesday directed Murkomen in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Administration to take remedial action and contain the rising number of road accidents in the country.
CS Murkomen had on April 4, 2023, announced a number of stringent measures that his Ministry is undertaking, through the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), to reduce the number of road accidents in the country.
Senator Veronica Maina however said that it was unfortunate that despite those measures, “the current number of road-related accidents is alarmingly high”.
“The traffic department has failed in bringing sober management to the roads and the police are constantly taking bribes,” she said.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwalwe also faulted the traffic police department noting that there was a lack of functionality hence the increase in the number of road accidents.
“I will bring a comprehensive Bill that will bring some order,” he said adding that the Bill is targeting the boda boda space where he accused the operators of exhibiting impunity on the road.
Nominated Senator Mariam Sheikh said drivers who are driving recklessly on the road should be dealt with according to the law.
“Urgent actions need to be taken to ensure that our roads are safe for everybody,” she 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.
The figure is exclusive of the latest deaths recorded from the past three days in the country.
