Murkomen announces new measures to curb road accidents

Murkomen directed road agencies to expeditiously complete ongoing road safety audits on all blackspots.

In Summary
  • He said a driver of a public service vehicle or a commercial vehicle will be required to undergo a driving test every three years.
  • Murkomen said the driving tests shall be a condition for renewal of the license.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during a recent meeting at his office on April 14, 2023.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during a recent meeting at his office on April 14, 2023.
Image: HANDOUT

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced new road measures to curb accidents.

In a statement on Wednesday, Murkomen directed road agencies to expeditiously complete ongoing road safety audits on all blackspots.

"Kenya Urban Road Authority (KURA) and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) should ensure safety interventions, including installation of signage, reflectors, and street lighting within the next 30 days," Murkomen said.

He said a driver of a public service vehicle or a commercial vehicle will be required to undergo a driving test every three years.

Murkomen said the driving tests shall be a condition for renewal of the license.

He added that drivers will also undergo a physical fitness test, including an eye and hearing test.

"From July 1, 2023, all PSV drivers, and commercial vehicle drivers will be subjected to a mandatory medical fitness test before renewal of their driving licenses," he said.

The CS added that all driver trainees will be expected to provide a medical certificate before administration on the NTSA driver test.

Murkomen directed NTSA to form a multi-agency enforcement team together with the Kenya Bureau of Statistics and the National Police Service to weed out distributors and suppliers of substandard products and spare parts.

"It has been noted, from crash investigations report, that most of the crashes were caused by tire burst, brake failure while at high speed, while others were caused by crashing into vehicles mounted with substandard retroreflective strips thus affecting visibility on the road," he said.

The CS added that there should be enforcement on anti-rolling bars, installation of seatbelts and proper anchorage of seats on all public service vehicles.

He said that to support post-crash management, all long-distance public service vehicles (PSVs) should subscribe to an accident and emergency system.

"Vehicles are required to prominently display the details of the subscription as public information and for passenger reference," he added.

He said all the 57 licensed speed limiter vendors must install approved gadgets that will limit speed and record speed data after every five seconds.

The CS said the data must also be transmitted to NTSA and the vendor servers and report violations in real-time.

Murkomen banned night travel for school buses and directed school vans, buses and matatus that are unroadworthy to be removed from the roads.

He said there are plans to install digital cameras to help in the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations.

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