•At least 22,958 drivers of Public Service Vehicles were arrested and prosecuted for violating the Highway Code
•To deal with this cause of road traffic accidents, the Traffic Department in conjunction with the National Transport and Safety Authority have continued to carry out targeted operations.
Image: MINA
Kenya has witnessed a surge in road crashes since the year started recording 1,926 in the the first two months.
Despite the surge, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Thursday revealed that the Police Traffic Department has been undertaking various interventions to curb the crashes.
"In line with our mandate, the Kenya Police Traffic Department continues to carry out planned and impromptu operations targeting public service vehicles," he said
At least 22,958 drivers of Public Service Vehicles were arrested and prosecuted for violating the Highway Code
As a result, this has led to the realization of more than Sh299.4 million in court fines and forfeitures between January 1 to February 29, 2024.
The CS revealed that every two weeks in a month, the department in collaboration with NTSA carries out joint enforcement exercises.
He was speaking during his appearance before the National Assembly Committee on Transport and Infrastructure regarding the enforcement of traffic laws to enhance road safety.
From the exercise during the same period, Kindiki reported that drunk driving was identified as a cause of road traffic crashes.
By use of breathalyzer, 1,086 drivers were arrested and charged before court for drunk driving in the same period.
Motorcycle-related accidents were stated to have led to 255 deaths, representing 35 percent of all fatalities reported in that period.
To arrest the situation, the Interior boss revealed that enforcement exercises target motorcyclists who don't abide by the law.
This led to the apprehension and prosecution of 5,590 motorcyclists with the traffic police detaining more than 6,692 motorcycles.
The National Police Service has continuously carried out impromptu operations to net operators driving illegal PSVs.
The stated noted that personal vehicles operating as Public Service Vehicles without going through the necessary licensing process have also been known to cause accidents in their attempts to maximize the number of trips, they can make within a limited time.
"These vehicles that are commonly known as Noahs and Sientasply both long and short distance routes, especially during peak periods as demand for transport surpasses supply," Kindiki stated.
A recent nationwide operation in the same period led to the arrest of more than 500 drivers.
In addition to that, the CS highlighted that defective motor vehicles on the road are a result of both human error and mechanical defects which account for 11 percent of all traffic crashes.
To deal with this cause of road traffic accidents, the Traffic Department in conjunction with the National Transport and Safety Authority have continued to carry out targeted operations.
In January and February, 1,744 drivers were arrested for various violations and realization of Sh10,886,167 as court fines and forfeitures.