The National Transport Safety Authority has partnered with eight counties in the North Rift and Western to establish coordination teams that will help deal with road safety challenges.
Uasin Gishu government is among the devolved units in the County Transport and Safety Committees that will take charge of addressing road safety issues.
Speaking during a three day induction training, NTSA road safety director Andrew Kiplagat said the initiative seeks to integrate road safety measures in all the 47 counties.
“The committees will help develop necessary plans required to strengthen road safety legislation at the county level and enhance accessibility," Kiplagat said.
The initiative is in line with Governor Jonathan Bii's plan on infrastructure development which endeavours to upgrade and maintain all road networks within the county to all-weather standards.
Further, it seeks to devolve road maintenance to wards and sub-division levels to ensure safe roads for users besides improved mobility.
"Last year we unfortunately lost 4,748 people on road crashes. These accidents are preventable and those people didn't deserve to die in that manner. That makes this collaboration very important to avert the situation. About 73 per cent of that number is made of pedestrians, motorcyclists and motorcycle passengers," he said
Road crash problems need local strategies by the devolved units, who NTSA consider as key players in helping reduce loss of lives.
Uasin Gishu executive for roads Joseph Lagat said participants from West Pokot, Vihiga, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Bungoma, Kakamega, Busia and Uasin Gishu counties were trained on establishment of key road structures such as footpaths separate from carriage ways as better interventions.
Elgeyo Marakwet roads executive Emmy Kosgey said there is need for sensitisation and capacity building of the people and coming up with strategies to avert road crashes.
The counties have also pledged to support development of wide roads that will accommodate heavy traffic flows and reduce congestion in man urban areas.
In Uasin Gishu new measures to help control traffic flows include the decision to ban long-distance lorries from using the main highway crossing through the City of Eldoret.
A multi-sectoral committee chaired by Uasin Gishu county commissioner Edison Nyale has been formed to help enforce the new measures and one of its recommendations is that all the long distance trucks with no business in the city centre be diverted to use the Southern by-pass whose construction was completed more than a year ago.
The over 40 kilometres by-pass deviates from the main Uganda highway at Cheplaskei and passes at Kapseret on the Eldoret-Kisumu road before re-joining the Uganda highway at Leseru.
Eldoret was last year elated to city Status and is yet to have a city board to manage its affairs as required law.
Chairman of the Eldoret Municipal board Julius Kitur said the new measures would be implemented in the next few weeks.
