New report reveals speediest motorists in Kenya
By NICHOLAS KOMU @NiqoStu
Motorists in Nakuru drive at the highest speed followed by those in Central region, a new report by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows.
Nairobi comes third in the report that covers the month of December. The report also shows that an average of 154 motorists are caught speeding daily by traffic surveillance cameras installed on roads around the country.
Some 3,388 motor vehicles were captured moving above regulated speeds by the high-tech security surveillance system between December 1, 2015 and December 22 the same year.
In rift valley region, Nakuru recorded the highest number at nine cases per day which also remains the highest rate nationally. This accounts for about six percent of the daily national tally.
Thika and Sagana areas are listed as the most notorious in Central Kenya while Embakasi is listed as the worst hit area in Nairobi.
Eastern parts of the country had the fewest cases averaging two to four cases per day with parts of Mwingi, Chuka and Embu having zero cases.
TRAFFIC OFFENDERS
The cameras that are fitted along major roads operate under the world-class Integrated Command, Control and Communications Centre (IC3) which was commissioned in May 2015 with Safaricom as the service provider.
The system that operates on 4G network includes about 1,800 high-powered CCTV Cameras and an emergency response contact center that is equipped to receive up to 25,000 calls per day.
The National Police Service has also been issued with 7,600 modern communication devices and over 3,000 officers trained to operate system termed as next generation of security enforcement in Kenya.
The creation of the system was aimed at improving policing and coordination for the police force with the traffic department seemingly the main beneficiary of the project. The system has more than 40 stations able to connect and relay information to the central command centre.
However, questions have been raised on the capacity of the traffic police to follow up on these cases and apprehend the offenders.
Efforts to get comments from NTSA and the national traffic police commandant bore no fruit as the police boss said she was in a meeting while calls to NTSA went unanswered.