The National Transport and Safety Authority has raised a red alert over increasing road fatalities involving pedestrians and boda boda operators.
Recent statistics show there is an overall 6.9 per cent increase in road accident deaths, majority of the casualties being pedestrians, motor cycle riders and their passengers.
This also comes with a huge financial cost as the country loses Sh300 billion yearly through road accidents, NTSA data and programs manager Samuel Musumba said.
The official said as a result, the authority is reviewing traffic rules and formulating a new policy to strengthen areas that are weak and to seal the loopholes.
Musumba was speaking in Ruiru, Kiambu county, during the closure of a two-week road safety training for employees of Match Electricals Ltd who have been doing repairs for damaged lights along the Thika superhighway on contractual terms for Kenya National Highways Authority.
He said last year, the number of lives lost on the roads countrywide stood at 3,567 compared to 3,337 the previous year, a 6.9 per cent increase which he termed as a "worrying trend".
Among the fatalities, pedestrians were 1,376, followed by motor cyclists (875), passengers (565), drivers (309) and pedal cyclists (69).
According to NTSA, the accidents have a serious bearing on the country's economy as the billions lost could be used for development purposes.
Musumba said besides training the motor cycle taxi operators, the government intends to have them working under saccos just like PSVs.
"The aim is to bring order and sanity in the boda boda sector which currently has 1.9 million registered operators. It is easier to manage them when they are in organised groups," the official said.
Musumba added that the proposed traffic rules will include operation of heavy commercial vehicles and the safety of school children.
He also noted that many utility service providers working on the highways were at a high risk of being knocked down by vehicles, hence the need for the training carried out jointly by NTSA and Nairobi Metropolitan Services, which will be continuous.
Match Electricals Ltd CEO Chris Maina said the company workers face huge risks as they go about repairing damaged lights along the highway and appealed to motorists to comply with warning signs placed on the road.
Emily Muema of KeNHA and Boniface Otieno, a senior traffic police officer working with NMS, urged motorists to observe traffic regulations to avoid accidents.
Muema said motorists will be surcharged for the repair or replacement of guard rails, lights and other road utilities damaged during accidents.
Edited by R.Wamochie
