Nyanza school drivers trained, sensitized to reduce accidents

A Non-governmental organization has embarked on a move to train and sensitize school bus drivers in a bid to address and reduce accidents witnessed in the Nyanza region.

The organization Boresha Education Empowerment has partnered with the Ministry of Education, the National Transport Safety Authority and the Traffic Police officer to equip the drivers with knowledge.

According to the organization's Nyanza coordinator Vincent Atong,  they are building the capacity of the school bus drivers to ensure safety measures are adhered to on the road while reducing cases of accidents witnessed across.

Along said the two days capacity building training is focusing on  Traffic Act, Nation Trasport Safety Authority(NTSA) Act, Emergency Evaluation, First Aid, Guiding and Counselling, Fire fighting, detection skills and communication.

He said this is in line with enforcing safety measures and child-friendly policies in schools.

"We are also taking the drivers through guidance and cancelling owing to the fact that some accidents are caused by mental health, something that is not always looked into it," he said.

"The  National Coordinator Raymond Juma however said the training was a preventive measure for the drivers who hold the future of the children."

Juma said the school bus drivers categorized as support staff in the schools are critical people within the sector who holds the future of the children

"If we dont prevent  such accidents on the rise currently, then we are killing the  future of our children."

He said they are protecting the children's future by ensuring that they equip them with all the knowledge and skills they need on the road.

"We are also equipping them with ideas on how to abide by the rules and keep to the required standards."

Most importantly,  Juma added that they also want to ensure that the working relationship between the drivers are security officers are improved.

During the session, the bus drivers complained of harassment from the police side saying that sometimes they are stopped on the road, their licence taken without any offence hence delaying them on the road.

They also raised issues on the traffic offence wondering why they should be arrested for access to worn-out tires yet they have reported the same to the authorities who are the school managers.

However during the session,  they were told that they should always ensure to indicate in the working permitted whenever they report such to the management so that when the officers come across them, they can always pick the matter directly with the school managers.

Similar training have been planned for counties within the region in the coming weeks.