Kenya Road Safety Association demands reforms at NTSA over increasing accidents

The Kenya Road Safety Association has called for a comprehensive reform of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to address the increased number of road accidents in the country.

David Kiarie, the association chairman, attributed the increase in road accidents to a lack of safety commitment and widespread corruption within the NTSA, which he claims was overlooked by former Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen

He noted that the departure of Murkomen should trigger a comprehensive overhaul of the NTSA, as it is marred with corruption, and eventually address the rampant road accidents that claim lives daily.

“The departure of Murkomen should trigger a comprehensive overhaul of the NTSA, as it is filled with corruption. It should be the first thing to be cleaned. And if there is one docket so sensitive in this country, it is the Ministry of Transport because we talk of lives,” he said.

“We need a thorough clean-up of the NTSA in all positions of management to return sanity to the roads and minimise the accident death toll, which is now above the 4,000 mark in just six months.”

Kiarie, who was accompanied by Road Safety and Speed Governors Association acting Secretary General John Mutisya, also demanded the NTSA board, formerly chaired by Aden Noor, be reinstated.

In May 2023, President William Ruto revoked the appointment of Aden Noor Ali four months after appointing him to the helm of the agency.

Dr. Manoj Shah was appointed to take up the role, joined by other members including Johnson Losilian, Paul Posho, and Lilian Mogendi, replacing Omar Haji, Charles Nyabuto, and Simon Kalekem.

A file photo of an anti-drunk driving operation involving the police and officials of the National Transport and Safety Authority. (Photo: X/NTSA)

Earlier, in April of the same year, NTSA's former Director General George Njao was given a 30-day compulsory leave by the agency’s board after the number of accidents soared.

“All the senior directors and management officials, including those at the vehicle inspection centres, should be shown the door over incompetence and corruption. We recommend that the current Board of Directors be replaced by the previous one headed by Mr. Noor," Kiarie said.

He added that whoever will be appointed as the next Roads CS must be a professional conversant with and dedicated to road safety measures, and preferably an engineer.

“We are saying that we don’t want friends with the president or lawyers (to be appointed as CSs). We are requesting that he ensure that he gives us an engineer,” he said.

Additionally, Kiarie suggested the reinstatement of former NTSA Director General Francis Meja, possibly as Principal Secretary, citing that he was committed to safety issues during his tenure.

Echoing Kiarie's sentiments, Mutisya asked the President to move with speed and effect changes at the road safety authority.

“A wind of change is blowing across Kenya, where even the Inspector General has resigned. This new policy should extend to NTSA, whose management has been sleeping as people perish on our roads from accidents that could have been avoided,” Mutisya said.

Their remarks came after 12 people perished in a road accident along Garissa Road last Friday, a few days after another crash near Kenol on the Thika-Nyeri highway killed four people.

The safety officials warned that the trend would continue unless drastic measures were taken to reverse it.