Kenya fifth in Africa among countries with most road crash deaths

Every year, the government spends billions of shillings on infrastructure, especially upgrading major roads in the country.

In the 2023-2024 Financial Year budget, the Ministry of Transport was allocated Sh244 billion for road construction and management.

Despite this, a new report suggests that Kenya is among the top five African countries where you are more likely to die in a road accident.

The Status Report on Road Safety 2023 released in Nairobi this week by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), and the Ministry of Health, highlights the alarming state of road safety in the country.

According to the report, 28 out of every 100,000 people die in road crashes in Kenya, a stark contrast to the African average of 19.4 per 100,000. Only Comoros (29), Zimbabwe (29.8), Guinea Bissau (30), and Guinea (37) have higher road fatality rates.

At least 4,000 Kenyans are killed in road crashes annually, with another 10,000 maimed for life, according to NTSA data.

WHO Kenya representative, Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, said there has been a 17 per cent increase in road traffic fatalities in the organisation’s African region, making it the only one to experience such an increase. He noted that boda boda accidents are the fastest rising in the region.

NTSA Director-General George Njao said hardly a day passes without a pedestrian being run over by a vehicle.

According to the Ministry of Health, Kenyan road crash survivors spend Sh46 billion annually on treatment. The costs are a fraction of road crashes' strain on the economy.

NTSA’s Kenya Road Safety Action Plan 2024-28 shows that road carnage costs the economy Sh450 billion annually. However, several national and county government agencies delivering safety-related services are underfunded. They include NTSA, the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha), the police, and county health departments.

From January 1 to July 7, 2024, at least 11,502 people were involved in road accidents. Data from NTSA shows that 2,407 died, while the rest sustained mostly life-changing injuries. At least 6,083 people were seriously injured, and 4,083 were slightly injured.

June has been identified as the most dangerous month to travel by road in Kenya this year, with 411 lives lost in road crashes, a decrease from 439 in 2023. March follows with 403 deaths, while January recorded 389 fatalities, up from 379 last year.

February saw an increase from 340 fatalities in 2023 to 374 in 2024. April remained steady at 388 deaths compared to the previous year. May and July recorded 341 and 101 fatalities, respectively, this year, compared to 340 and 97 in 2023.

In the first week of July alone, 101 people died in road crashes across the country.

Statistics from NTSA show that most fatalities occurred in the afternoon and at night — between 3 pm and 11 pm — with the peak hour being 9 pm.

NTSA attributes these crashes to reduced enforcement during these times and high volumes of traffic and pedestrians during rush hours. Other causes include pedestrian crossings in non-designated or unsafe areas, driver fatigue, poor visibility, and drunk driving.

In July, Saturdays were the deadliest days on the roads, with 21 lives lost. Mondays recorded 18 fatalities, while Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each had 15 road deaths. Thursdays saw nine deaths, and Tuesdays had eight.

Motorcycles were the most common vehicles involved in road crashes this month, causing 24 deaths, followed by privately owned vehicles (23), public service vehicles (20), commercial vehicles (18), and government-owned vehicles (one).