Murkomen reverses Uhuru order allows NTSA back on the road
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has reversed a directive to remove National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers from enforcement of road safety rules.
His directive comes after the country witnessed a carnage of grisly accidents that left at least two dozen people dead in the 24 hours.
“Having consulted with my Interior and National Coordination colleague, Prof Kithure Kindiki, we are going to establish a mechanism where the previous directive to remove NTSA from enforcement will be vacated and a collaborative regime between NTSA and NPS will be put in place for a more efficient enforcement,” he said on Tuesday in a statement.
“You will be seeing a return of the NTSA working with traffic police to enforce traffic safety on our roads as soon as possible.”
In 2017, former President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the immediate withdrawal of the agency’s officers from the roads, leaving the enforcement of traffic rules to the police.
“From now onwards, NTSA officers will not be on the roads as the responsibility to enforce the traffic regulations lies squarely on the police,” Uhuru said then.
He added that the responsibility to reduce accidents lay with Kenyans, including drivers and pedestrians obeying all rules, proper maintenance of vehicles, and respect for other road users.
The road safety authority had been on the spot following increased accidents that have killed many especially those using private vehicles.
The authority, established through an Act of Parliament, has since restricted its activities to its core functions which include implementing policies relating to road transport and safety.
Other functions include conducting research and audits on road safety, developing and implementing road safety strategies and regulating public service vehicles.
On Monday afternoon 5 people died on the sport and 18 others were injured after a matatu collided with a tractor at Salaek village on Bomet-Kiptagich road.
A few hours later, a bus carrying 54 Kenyatta University students on an academic trip to Malindi, a lab technician, a student leader and two drivers was involved in a road accident that claimed the lives of 11 students in Maungu on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
On Tuesday morning, another fatal accident occurred along the Migori-Rongo highway at Kuja Bridge, claiming an unconfirmed number of people.
The CS said that the country has in recent weeks witnessed a spate of road accidents and termed them “unacceptable”.
“The latest ones involved a Kenyatta University bus and a truck in Voi that claimed the lives of 11 students and left 46 others injured on Monday, a matatu crash that claimed lives on Migori-Rongo highway today, the matatu-tractor accident on Bomet-Olenguruone Road that took five lives on Monday and the Kapsabet School bus that overturned on Kabarnet-Marigat Road, killing a teacher and a student on Saturday. This is unacceptable,” he said.
He condoled with the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and wished them a quick recovery to those who have been injured in the various accidents reported across the country.
“These accidents have caused unimaginable grief and suffering to the victims and their families,”.
Mr Murkomen said that as a Ministry, they remain resolute in their commitment to ensuring safety on our roads sustainably and comprehensively to prevent death.
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