Drivers handling public service vehicles in Kenya set to undergo fresh training

david nganga

February 1, 2018 5:18 PM

The exercise is set to take effect immediately

Kenyan drivers handling Public Service Vehicles (PSV) and trucks will have to undergo retraining as part of the governments latest road safety measures aimed at curbing road carnage.

In a statement by Transport secretary James Macharia and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i, the 98,000 PSV and 302,000 commercial vehicle driver licence holders in the country will head back to training schools in a bid to put to an end the rampant road accidents witnessed in the recent past.

The programme is set to start with 8,000 long distance PSV drivers whose operation includes night travel. The retraining, which takes place immediately, will also include medical tests before the drivers are allowed back on the road.

“The retraining will also include medical tests for those conditions which may affect the driver’s ability to drive,” said the ministers.

The exercise will be handled by government institutions such as the Rift Valley Technical Training College, Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technologies and Kenya Technical Trainers College.

“These institutions have started implementing the new detailed curriculum for driver training and testing. In a week, they can train about 2,800 drivers,” said Mr Macharia.

The two ministries said it would also impound all PSVs operating illegally including low-capacity vehicles operating long distances.

The government last month recommended a raft of measures in a bid to curb road crashes. They included the deregistration of all driving schools, erection of speed bumps on certain roads, restructuring of the Traffic Police Department, retraining of drivers, installation of road signs among others.

david nganga