The country losses Sh300 million annually to road accidents, translating to five per cent of the GDP, the transport authority has said.
National Transport and Safety Authority board chairperson Agnes Odhiambo said on Thursday the country relies heavily on road transport system.
“Approximately 90 per cent of all cargo and human mobility is transported on our roads. Equally, matatu and boda boda sectors provide significant employment opportunity, particularly to our youth,” she said.
The former Controller of Budget said statistics indicate that the country losses approximately 3,000 lives annually as a result of road crashes, making it a public health and development concern.
“Out of the 3,000 lives we lose, 1,575 lives are lost through boda boda accidents, which is about 40 per cent of the total lives lost,” Odhiambo said.
She spoke at the Kakamega county headquarters during the launch of NTSA’s Usalama Barabarani programme.
Odhiambo said they will partner with the European Union to improve road safety.
She said NTSA has continued to implement initiatives geared towards the improvement of road safety..
“We are also ensuring that road safety is inculcated in our way of life and we are doing this through education and awareness programme,” Odhiambo said.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya urged NTSA to put proper policies and guidelines in place to help reduce boda boda- related deaths.
He said young people compel their parents to sell portions of land to buy for them boda bodas.
“That’s why here in our county general hospital, we have a whole ward dedicated to boda boda accident victims. There is no time the ward is empty,” Oparanya said.
He asked NTSA to make sure that all the boda boda operators have licenses and have gone through proper training.
