At least one person was killed and several were injured when a bus they were travelling in was involved in an accident along Londiani-Muhoroni road, Kericho County.
The bus had
originated Nairobi and was headed to the Kisumu direction when it was involved in
an accident on Monday, December 9 morning in the Jambo Kenya area, police said.
The area is a marked blackspot.
Police said the accident
happened at about 5.30 am and left multiple injuries.
Response teams rushed to the scene and took the injured to the hospital.
National Police Service Spokesperson Dr Resila Onyango said they had recorded at least one fatality involving a juvenile.
She said many
passengers were injured in the accident and are in hospitals.
This comes amid
heighted operations on major roads to tame rising cases of accidents.
Statistics show at
least 4,282 people have been killed in accidents reported this year.
This is compared to 4,090 killed in the same
period of January to November in 2023.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said
this is an indication of an increase of 192 people who have lost their lives as
a result of road carnage this year.
He termed the increase alarming.
“These are not just statistics, but human lives
which have been adversely affected as a result of road carnage,” he said.
He said road traffic accidents are still a
leading cause of injuries and fatalities in our country.
“Yet, most of these accidents are caused by preventable human factors especially
non-compliance with traffic rules and regulations. Evidently, road traffic
accidents tend to increase during festive seasons, and already, we are seeing an increase
in road traffic accidents this year.”
Last year from January to November for example,
he said, police recorded 3,469 fatal accidents compared with 3681 fatal
accidents recorded this year, marking an increase of 212 (6%).
In terms of victims, in 2023, police recorded a
total of 20,239 victims of road traffic accidents compared with 21,620 victims
this year, marking an increase of 1381 (7%).
He appealed to all motorists to approach this
festive season with a changed behaviour with a common purpose to reduce road
carnage.
Kanja said they have deployed additional traffic
police officers on the roads to ensure the free flow of traffic.
“Through the multi-agency strategy, we are also
collaborating with the National Transport
and Safety Authority to conduct crackdowns and road safety compliance checks on
the major highways, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to prevent
corruption on the roads this festive
season.”
Apart from the roads, he said, Kenyans should
expect to see more police presence and
visibility, as we have deployed more specialized units including Formed Police
Units and undercover Officers alongside the Regular Police, to intensify
patrols and heighten both ground and aerial
surveillance in the major towns, borders, places of worship, shopping malls and
critical infrastructural areas.
“While the National Police Service has put in
place these elaborate measures to ensure security. I wish to remind all of us
Kenyans, that security and road safety is our collective responsibility,” he
said.
He asked all drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, boda boda riders and passengers to comply with traffic regulations and rules by avoiding operating unroadworthy motor vehicles, failure to use safety belts by commuters, speeding, driver fatigue, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and careless driving.
“We also appeal to the owners of motor vehicles
and boda boda saccos to collaborate with
our officers to enhance discipline among drivers.”
