Men's Conference to unveil road safety campaign on Valentine's Day

The campaign is dabbed 'Donate a Reflector Jacket and Help Our Men'.

In Summary
  • The campaign will be launched at Uhuru Gardens on Wednesday. 

  • Letoo said they will start collecting donations for the reflectors until Tuesday night, the eve of Valentine's Day. 

Men's Conference National Chairman Stephen Letoo with other officials during a press briefing on February 9, 2024.
Men's Conference National Chairman Stephen Letoo with other officials during a press briefing on February 9, 2024.
Image: SCREEN GRAB

The Men's Conference Association has said it will launch a year-long road safety campaign on Valentine's Day.

National Chairman Stephen Letoo on Friday said the campaign is being launched based on the realisation that more men are victims of road carnage.

"A look at NTSA annual report has left this movement in utter shock. The report disclosed that 3,609 people lost their lives in road accidents between January to October in 2023," he said. 

He said majority of those who lost their lives are boda boda riders who are part and parcel of the Men's Conference Group.

"This calls for the involvement of all our men out there. Starting with our man in Chief President William Ruto."

Letoo said they will start collecting donations for reflector jackets until Tuesday night, the eve of Valentine's Day. 

He said the road safety campaign dabbed 'Donate a Reflector Jacket and Help Our Men' will be launched at Uhuru Gardens on Wednesday. 

"On Valentine's Day we intend to launch a year-long men's conference road safety campaign targeting boda boda riders in all 47 counties with the support of our regional officials," Letoo said. 

Up to 2000 boda boda riders, he said, are expected to grace the event besides men from other professions. 

Letoo said men will be busy with the campaign and the earliest they will return home will be Sunday.

"On Valentine's Day inasmuch we are going to give flowers to our wives, sisters and girlfriends and mothers, we the Men's Conference Group... the biggest reward we will give you on that day is safety on the roads," he said. 

"We are equally calling on all institutions that are friends of men to join us in this campaign across the country in giving life to the dream 'Men and Safety'," Letoo said. 

The political journalist further' said they will use the occasion to condemn femicide and apologise to womenfolk over the recent tragic deaths of their colleagues. 

"We will be using Wednesday, February 14, to also apologise on behalf of our rogue members to the female community for whatever has been  happening there," he said.

"For that reason, the 2000 boda boda riders at the Road Safety campaign will each have a single flower to give to women along Moi Avenue as a show and a sign of 'sorry to you on behalf of the male fraternity'," he said. 

Letoo asked those planning to donate physical reflector jackets to drop them at St Georges Building along Parliament Road in Nairobi. 

"For those giving donations in kind, our Pay bill number is 400200, account number 158694 for the purchase of the reflector jackets to be used on Wednesday at the Men's Conference," he said. 

Letoo said even as women hold their Valentine's celebrations, men will be at their conference. 

"I want to tell our female gender that all my members will be very busy in activities mentioned by the association," he said. 

He said they no longer want a situation where a man leaves his house in the morning but never returns because he died on unsafe roads. 

"We are very keen on having safety. There is no need of a lady waiting for flowers, but your boyfriend who brings you flowers is no longer on the roads just because there are no safety kits," he said. 

Letoo noted that the Men's Conference Group is now a registered entity recognised in law.

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