City Affairs

Tens of Kenyans to spend Easter in police custody for flouting traffic rules

A traffic police officer. (Photo: File)

By Mary Wambui | Sunday, March 31, 2024

The majority of those arrested on Sunday, in the joint operation by the NTSA and traffic police, were excess passengers in public service vehicles.

More than 30 road users will spend the rest of their Easter holiday in police cells after they were arrested on Thika Road on Sunday morning in a crackdown to curb traffic offences.

The majority of those arrested in the ongoing joint operation by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and traffic police were excess passengers in public service vehicles.

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Others were motorists caught driving vehicles without proper documents, including inspection and road service licences (RSLs), whose vehicles were impounded and the number plates removed.

"This is a routine exercise taking place across the country. We want to ensure every Kenyan is safe on the road," NTSA's Principal Communication Officer Anthony Nyongesa said when reached for comment.

Since last week, the authority has come out strongly to sensitise the public about road safety, in addition to supporting the police to enforce traffic regulations across the country.

On Saturday evening, several drunk drivers who were caught unaware were nabbed and subjected to alcoblow tests.

Speaking along Kiambu Road on Saturday evening, Duncan Kibogong, NTSA's head of road safety strategies, noted that drunk driving is a major risk on the roads.

"We will do whatever it takes to bring sanity to the roads," Kibogong told journalists.

While appearing before the Senate two weeks ago, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said several measures have been put in place to curb accidents and keep the public safe. One was ensuring NTSA collaborated with the National Police Service (NPS) in road safety matters.

"A collaborative regime between the NTSA and the NPS will be put in place for more efficient enforcement. You will be seeing a return of the NTSA, working with traffic police, to enforce public safety on our roads as soon as possible," said CS Murkomen.

At the same time, a delayed re-testing of all passenger service vehicles and heavy commercial drivers is expected to resume following orders from the ministry. This is in addition to medical tests on all drivers before they are issued new driving licences to ensure only the medically fit are authorised to drive.

The crackdown announced nearly two weeks ago aims to curb road carnage, which has claimed more lives than the COVID-19 pandemic, according to statistics from the NTSA.

According to government statistics, the number of people who died of the virus between 2020 and 2022 (two and a half years) was 4,600.

"Yet, for one year alone, we are losing 4,000 people to traffic accidents, meaning this problem is worse than serious pandemics like COVID-19," Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said two weeks ago.

He ordered a merciless operation against traffic offenders, including motorists, drivers, bodaboda riders, pedestrians, motor vehicle owners, and enforcement officials who get bribed to look the other way.

"We must all work together and make sure we bring down this problem," he said.