Over 1000 dead in road accidents since January
More than 1000 people have lost their lives since the beginning of the year.
According to NTSA statistics, 1090 people have lost their lives in road accidents in Kenya this year alone.
A closer look at the traffic data from January 1 to March 24 shows that the number of deaths has increased compared to the same period last year.
As of March 24, pedestrians led the way with 403 deaths, compared to 343 last year.
The majority of fatalities were pedestrians, followed by motorcyclists, passengers, drivers, passengers and pedal cyclists.
Motorcyclists recorded 260 deaths, a slight decrease from the 276 recorded in 2023.
“In 2024, at least 233 passengers lost their lives in road crashes compared to 178 in 2023, while 84 drivers lost their lives in road crashes, a decrease from 100 in the same period last year,” NTSA said.
Pillion passengers recorded 92 deaths compared to 96 last year, with only 18 pedal cyclists losing their lives in a crash this year compared to 19 in 2023.
“One life lost is one too many,” said NTSA Director General George Njao after inspecting the crackdown in Lukenya, Machakos County along Mombasa Road on Wednesday afternoon where more than 1,000 motorists were caught driving drunk, others speeding and many more driving uninspected vehicles.
At the same time, 30 pedestrians were arrested along Mombasa Road (GM) on Wednesday morning for disobeying traffic rules and were later charged and arraigned at Milimani Magistrate’s Court.
Seven motorcyclists were also arrested for not having licences and insurance.
The NTSA urged pedestrians to use available footbridges, walkways and other designated crossing points to ensure their safety and avoid inconvenience.
In one of the latest accidents, 11 Kenyatta University students were killed when their bus collided with a trailer at Maungu on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway on Monday 18 March.
The students were travelling from Nairobi to Mombasa, where 42 others were seriously injured. Some are still in critical condition.
In its draft National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2027, the NTSA says a number of national and county government agencies are currently underfunded to deliver safety-related services.
These include the NTSA, the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha), the police and county health authorities.