Pressure mounts for independent bus safety inspections to curb road crashes

Kenya's alarming road crash statistics have reignited debate over the safety of public transport, as lawmakers call for sweeping reforms in how buses are inspected and certified for roadworthiness.

With over 4,000 lives lost to road accidents this year alone, Senators have argued that the current system where manufacturers inspect their own vehicles poses a significant conflict of interest and undermines passenger safety.

This was brought to light during a committee hearing on Thursday, where it emerged that some bus manufacturers from Kenya Association of Bus Manufacturers (KABM) are involved and are shareholders in KABM Services Limited, which is involved in inspecting and approving the very buses they produce.

Lawmakers expressed outrage, claiming this dual role enables substandard buses to pass inspections, putting lives at risk.

Kenya Accreditation Service (Kenas) Chief Executive Officer Walter Ongeti admitted that manufacturers are involved in standards conformity assessments under Type B and C accreditations.

He noted, however, that only Type A accreditation requires independent inspectors.

No legal provisions

Ongeti further revealed that the current accreditation framework is not backed by any legal provisions but is instead an internal creation of Kenas.

Mwenda and Associates CEO Salim Mwenda added to the concerns, stating that his firm, authorised to issue conformity certificates for structural standards, has not conducted any assessments in the last three years. This gap, he argued, has left the door open for unregulated practices.

Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi had cornered Ongeti to explain why they are comfortable with KABM being both a bodybuilder and an assessor.

"This is why the bodybuilders rarely conform to set standards and why, in case of a small accident, the body separates from the chassis. Why are you protecting criminals killing our people on the roads?" he asked.

Data from the National Police Service has revealed that 4,282 fatalities have been recorded from road crashes in 2024, an increase of 192 compared to the 4,090 deaths recorded in 2023.

In the report, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja disclosed that the number of road accident victims also rose to 21,620 this year, up from 20,239 last year, marking a seven per cent increase.

As a result, lawmakers are urging the government to assign bus inspections exclusively to independent bodies.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua urged for independent bodies to handle the assessment of standards and be held accountable for road safety.

His counterpart from Marsabit, Mohamed Chute, backed the idea, stressing that only independent bodies should be responsible for carrying out the inspections.

"I am really shocked that someone can manufacture a product and at the same time be the one to assess it for compliance with standards," he said.

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) also faced criticism for failing to address conflicts of interest in the bus manufacturing industry.

CAK Director-General David Kemei defended the authority, asserting that current practices do not violate competition laws.

However, lawmakers maintained that the agency's inaction has allowed unsafe practices to persist.