Interior CS Fred Matiang'i yesterday announced new traffic measures at the National Transport and Safety Authority (see P10).
Speed governors in PSVs will transmit data to show whether matatus are speeding or not. The owner will receive an SMS fine if the matatu was speeding. The owner will not be able to renew the vehicle licence until the fine is paid.
All this will be done without the direct involvement of the police. The linked data on Huduma Namba will make the matatu owner accountable.
So far this only applies to PSVs but in the long run, it should apply to all vehicles.
The technology is within Kenya's grasp. Safaricom is already tracking vehicles in Nairobi so it can be extended across the country. In the UK speeding tickets are automatically generated by cameras next to roads and traffic lights.
There will be two big advantages. Firstly, drivers will drive more safely knowing they could be spotted by a hidden camera. Secondly, it will end the days of police stopping vehicles, claiming that they were speeding when they were not, and then pocketing the money.
Quote of the day: "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."
Herman Melville
The American novelist was born on August 1, 1819
