Over 2,100 people have lost their lives on Kenyan roads in 2026, marking an 11 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2025, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Speaking on Monday during an interview with Citizen TV, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa said pedestrians account for the highest number of deaths, followed by motorcyclists, as road crashes continue to rise across the country.
“We have 2,150 people who died on the roads, and of these, around 836 are pedestrians. They form the majority, followed by motorcyclists. We have 188 drivers who have died,” he said.
Kondiwa added that in 2025, total road deaths stood at 3,005, highlighting that the problem remains significant. Early 2026 data also showed that between January 1 and January 30, 398 people died in crashes compared to 358 in the same period in 2025.
Traffic records further show 854 accidents during that period, affecting 2,032 people, an increase of 8 per cent compared to the previous year.
Police data indicates that pedestrians remain the most affected group, with 143 deaths recorded in January alone, followed by 102 motorcyclists, 77 passengers and 38 drivers.
Authorities say human behaviour, including speeding, reckless overtaking, poor lane discipline and unsafe crossing points, alongside mechanical failures and infrastructure gaps, remains a major cause of crashes.
Traffic Department liaison officer Boniface Otieno warned of rising concern over the trend.
“We are deeply concerned about the rise in road fatalities. The increase from 358 to 398 deaths in just one month highlights the urgent need for stronger enforcement and public awareness,” he said.
NTSA estimates also show road crashes cost Kenya about Sh450 billion annually in lost gross domestic product, with wider estimates placing the impact at up to Sh800 billion per year. Officials warn that the cost could reach 10 per cent of GDP by 2030 if the trend continues.
Meanwhile, the Authority said it has increased enforcement activities even as the instant fines system remains suspended by court order.
The instant fines system and smart driving licences project was suspended by the Kerugoya High Court on May 29, 2026, following concerns over constitutional compliance and data protection. The matter is set for mention on June 21, 2026.
However, Kondiwa said operations are ongoing across the country.
“We have increased the enforcement, and this is where the noise around instant fines comes in. We already have enforcement that is going on, including drunk driving,” he said.
He emphasised that the Authority is working with other agencies to strengthen compliance, guided by enforcement, education, engineering and standards. NTSA is also partnering with road agencies to roll out the International Road Assessment Programme.
“If a road is very unsafe, it has zero stars. But if it is very safe, it has five stars,” Kondiwa said.
He also defended the shift to electronic logbooks, saying the old system was open to forgery and operational challenges.
“There was a big problem with logbook printing, and this is affecting almost 10 processes. We have made this thing simple by having this electronic, so there is no need for people to have those papers. We are currently giving e-logbooks,” he said.
“Those paper logbooks could easily be forged. You could not tell the difference between a forged logbook and a genuine one. It was so similar that even I, who has worked for NTSA for seven years, cannot tell the difference. At least with the e-logbook, you can tell.”
Kondiwa reiterated that the shift is part of wider digitisation reforms aimed at improving service delivery and reducing fraud in vehicle ownership records.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google