Govt sets up multi-agency team to audit road safety » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 12 – The Ministry of Roads and Transport has constituted a multi-agency team to audit high-risk road segments following a sharp spike in fatalities, with 80 people killed in crashes over just four days.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said crash data shows 2,933 people have died in road accidents between January and August 10, 2025.
The newly formed team, drawn from various agencies, will inspect accident-prone areas, identify safety gaps, reconstruct crash scenes, and propose urgent interventions.
“The team is expected to complete the exercise within the next seven days and submit recommendations for immediate implementation to avert unnecessary loss of lives,” Chirchir said in a statement Monday.
The announcement follows a series of fatal crashes, including a grisly accident in Kisumu on Friday that claimed nineteen lives and left twenty-six others seriously injured.
The tragedy occurred along the Kisumu–Kakamega road at the Coptic roundabout in Mamboleo, involving a school bus hired to ferry mourners returning from a funeral.
Eyewitnesses said the bus, travelling from Nyahera to Nyakach, overturned after the driver lost control at the notorious blackspot, rolling several times before landing in a ditch.
Survivors were rushed to Kisumu County Referral Hospital and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, where several remain in critical condition.
Another crash involving multiple vehicles on the Mai Mahiu–Narok claimed two lives both passengers on a long-distance bus operated by ENA Coach.
Reforms
Chirchir said the ministry will press ahead with long- and medium-term measures under the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028.
The response includes stricter regulation of school transport, tighter oversight of commercial vehicles, enhanced drink-driving enforcement, mandatory vehicle inspections, and a review of the Traffic Act.
On infrastructure, the CS highlighted ongoing upgrades such as the redesign of Nithi Bridge and the dualling of the Rironi–Mau Summit Road, which are on track for completion.
He added that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will intensify public education campaigns to promote safer road use and encourage behaviour change.
Chirchir urged all road users — including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and boda boda operators — to prioritise safety, adhere to speed limits, maintain roadworthy vehicles, and comply fully with traffic regulations.
“This wholistic and collaborative approach will go a long way in reducing fatalities and injuries on our roads. Road traffic accidents are not only predictable but also preventable if all road users played their part,” he said.