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Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen announces stringent measures to enhance road safety and prevent tragic road traffic crashes in Kenya.
This follows a several accidents in recent months that have claimed lives of Kenyans including students.
In a press release issued on April 19, 2023, Murkomen expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a quick recovery to those injured in recent accidents.
Murkomen emphasizes that one life lost on the roads is one too many and highlights the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Transport with other government agencies and stakeholders in the transport sector to implement measures that will save lives and enhance road safety.
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As a direct response to the recent accidents involving school children, Murkomen announces the following directives:
- School transportation will not be allowed to operate between 10pm and 5am, effective immediately, in compliance with the Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017.
- All school children must be allocated seats with functional seatbelts, which must be worn at all times during transportation.
- Unroadworthy school vans, buses, and matatus must be removed from the roads with immediate effect.
- Heavy commercial vehicles with a tare weight of 3049 Kgs and above must be fitted with speed limiters in compliance with the Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS), effective immediately.
- All licensed speed limiter vendors must install approved gadgets that limit speed, record speed data every 5 seconds, transmit data to both the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the vendor servers, and report violations in real-time, in compliance with KS 2295:2018.
- A multi-agency team will be formed to verify and validate all speed limiters from April 25, 2023, to May 31, 2023, to ensure that all public service vehicles operate with functional speed limiters. Public transport operators, speed limiter vendors, and the National Police Service will be incorporated into this exercise.
- The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Road Authority (KURA), and NTSA are directed to work expeditiously to complete ongoing road safety audits on all blackspots and ensure safety interventions, including installation of signage, reflectors, and street lighting, within the next 30 days. Additionally, all infrastructure around schools will be audited and declared school zones with necessary road furniture within 6 months.
- Cameras will be installed at all blackspots in a phased approach to be completed within four months to enhance blackspot management.
- Public service vehicle (PSV) drivers and commercial vehicle drivers will be subjected to a mandatory driver retest before renewal of their licenses from June 1, 2023, in compliance with Section 30(6) of CAP 403 of the Traffic Act.
- PSV drivers and commercial vehicle drivers will also be subjected to a mandatory medical fitness test by a qualified medical practitioner before renewal of their licenses from July 1, 2023. Driver trainees will also be required to provide a medical certificate before administration of the NTSA driver test.
- To address the proliferation of substandard products in the automotive industry, NTSA will form a multi-agency enforcement team in collaboration with the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Kenya Bureau of Statistics, and the National Police Service to weed out distributors and suppliers of substandard products and spare parts.
- Immediate enforcement of anti-rolling bars, installation of seatbelts, and proper anchorage of seats on all public service vehicles, including matatus, omni buses, and buses, in compliance with KS 372:2019 on passenger vehicle body construction. The motor vehicle inspection unit of NTSA will validate and take necessary action against non-compliant vehicles.
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