Road Safety Crusader Nazir Jinnah Suggestions To End Road Fatalities in Kenya » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 12 – Statistics by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) indicate hundreds of people have been killed in road accidents this year, while others have been left with life changing injuries.
Most of these accidents according to NTSA have been caused by poor behavior among Kenyan drivers. Latest data from NTSA reveals that at least 1,213 people have died on the road in the past three months.
Road safety crusader Nazir Jinnah says more must be done to save lives by, among other things, cracking the whip at rogue drivers of the public service vehicles (PSVs).
While he has welcomed the renewed effort by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to restore sanity on the roads, Jinnah has said “ more action than words is needed.”
He has decried that the country is losing thousands of lives unnecessarily to road accidents, which translates to lost family support systems and human resources.
One way of ending the road fatalities, Jinnah in a statement to Newsrooms asked the Government to take keen interest in vehicle manufacturers specifications.
“The conversion of Nissan and Toyota eight-passenger vans into 14-passenger vehicles without adhering to safety and reliability standards has proven to be a deadly practice, leading to devastating carnage and loss of innocent lives on Kenyan roads,” he said.
He pointed out that by converting vans to carry and load more passengers than intended, the emergency stoppage capacity is severely compromised, leaving vehicles unable to respond effectively in critical situations.
“Moreover, the imbalance caused by overloading disrupts the vehicle’s stability, increasing the risk of collision, accidents and fatalities,” he pointed out. .
“What makes this tragedy even more distressing is the fact that other countries such as South Africa utilizing similar popular vans adhere strictly to a maximum eight-passenger capacity. While these countries prioritize safety and compliance with manufacturer specifications, Kenya’s failure to do so has resulted in a disproportionately high number of fatalities on its roads.”
He added that, “not anything about road bumps or speed governors or even traffic speed cameras will help reduce road carnage. However, the continued prevalence of illegal van conversions and their deadly consequences highlight the urgent need for accountability and action.”
He has asked President William Ruto to intervene and ensure there are no further loss of lives on roads.
“It is imperative for the government to immediately crack down on illegal conversions and enforce compliance with safety regulations,” he said.
“Additionally, investing in public awareness campaigns and education initiatives is crucial to empower drivers and passengers with the knowledge to make safer choices on the roads.”
Among the measures announced by CS Murkomen include the temporary ban on NTSA to issue new PSV operator routes and mandatory inspection of all vehicles providing public transport services.
Another directive issued by Murkomen is that school transportation should be done between 6am and 7pm.
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