- The CS said some passengers find a 14-seater matatu is already full but they want to squeeze themselves therein as well.
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He said such a passenger ought to be charged before the driver is charged for overloading.
Image: FILE
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said public outrage after a road accident is usually short-lived in Kenya.
He said the outrage is short-lived because it is some of the passengers who contribute to the road accidents.
"In this country, when one accident happens, there is usually a short public outrage and Kenyans cannot sustain that outrage because it is the passengers who are also contributing to this madness," the CS said.
"I feel very sad that an entire family boards a bodaboda and then people are busy saying where is the Minister?"
Murkomen said some passengers endanger their lives and end up blaming the ministry.
He spoke on Monday during an interview with Citizen TV on curbing the increasing number of road accidents.
The CS said some passengers find a 14-seater matatu is already full but they want to squeeze themselves therein as well.
He said such a passenger ought to be charged before the driver is charged for overloading.
"I wish the way some Kenyans are quick to point fingers on government, that amount of outrage can be directed to drunk drivers, over speeding and overlapping drivers," the CS said.
Murkomen said the situation in the country when it comes to road accidents is very serious.
He said for the last decade, the country has been losing approximately 4,000 people annually.
"That translates to almost 12 people per day. Of these 12 deaths per day, 38 per cent are caused by motorcycle accidents," Murkomen said.
Murkomen said highway accidents are highly reported but the ones that are killing people most are the motorcyclists followed by pedestrians who are knocked on the road.
He said 16 per cent of road accidents are caused by passenger vehicles.
"These statistics paint a very bad picture because we lose about 5 per cent of the GDP as a result of these accidents," he said.
Murkomen expressed fear that the road accident statistics might be higher because some go unreported.