At least 55 road accidents were recorded between June last year and January this year in Kwale county, police records show.
Twenty of the cases involved deaths while the rest included severe injuries, with most people becoming handicapped, county police commander Stephen Ng’etich said.
He said the cases were recorded on Mombasa-Nairobi and Mombasa-Lunga-Lunga highways.
“The accident numbers are alarming, with our main highways taking the lead,” Ng'etich said.
The police commander said the severely affected people are boda boda and tuk-tuk operators who end up were down because of reckless driving and speeding.
Ng’etich said some of the accidents are self-inflicted and that motorbike riders hit bumps or enter into a ditch, causing deaths and injuries.
He said the majority of the boda boda and tuk-tuk operators do not have the required operation licenses.
“It is sad that these people work without driving licenses or insurances and violate almost all the traffic rules and safety measures,” the police boss said.
Ng'etich said most boda boda and tuks-tuk operators make U-turns abruptly on highways or enter into main roads without adhering to traffic rules, thus escalating cases of road accidents.
Unroadworthy vehicles, he said, are also to blame for the accidents. Drivers do not do proper servicing and maintenance of their vehicles.
Ng'etich, however, said that police have increased crackdowns on poorly serviced cars, unlicensed drivers and those breaking traffic rules to reduce road accidents in the region. He warned crooked drivers to get off the roads or face the full force of the law.
“If you do not have the required documents or your vehicle doesn't meet the traffic standards, kindly move out of our roads, because once we get you, stern action shall be taken against you,” he said.
Ng’etich advised members of the public and road users to be vigilant and report reckless drivers to help curb road accidents.
His office, he said, also made progress in confiscating counterfeit goods along the Kenya-Tanzania border in Lunga-Lunga subcounty.
Through a multiagency approach, they have been able to seize sub-standard goods at the Lunga-Lunga one stop borders and the porous routes.
Police officers and the Kenya Revenue Authority staff, Ng'etich said, keep day and night vigil to prevent smuggling activities along the borders.
Several people, the officer said, were arrested and charged in court. He urged the community to join hands in fighting crime in the region.
