The government has issued strict orders and directives to the National Transport and Safety Authority(NTSA) and the National Police Service(NPS) regarding the regulations of public service vehicles (PSVs) as Kenyans break for the festive season.
Speaking during a security press briefing at Harambee House in Nairobi, on Thursday, December 19, Prime Cabinet Secretary(PCS) Musalia Mudavadi, who doubles up as the acting Interior CS, directed the police and NTSA to increase patrols on major highways to curb cases of reckless driving habits and practices.
The PCS directed all police commanders to deploy additional officers to enforce vehicle inspection of all PSVs and flag those found operating without valid licenses.
''I directed increased police presence and patrols along major highways day and night to monitor and enhance compliance. The patrols will serve to discourage reckless driving and speed violations,'' Mudavadi directed.
''Strictly enforce road unworthy campaigns including ensuring that all PSVs have valid road licences,'' the PCS added.
The two institutions have also been directed to strictly enforce speed limits across all highways to curb speeding by reckless drivers who cause death and pain to Kenyans.
At the same time, the PCS directed NTSA to heighten action against unlawful and unlicensed PSVs operating on the roads.
''Heighten the action against illegal and unlicensed PSVs, to prevent them from operating as unlicensed PSVs,'' he added.
Base commanders of all police stations were also ordered to preserve safety and ensure that no accidents happen within the jurisdictional areas.
To address the increasing cases of fatalities from road carnages, Mudavadi has directed the NPS to enforce the laws on non-compliance to reduce the cases before 2028.
On the general security of the country, Mudavadi revealed that Kenya thwarted a total of 47 terrorist attacks in the last two years alone, with 11 convictions successfully prosecuted.
The PCS revealed that Kenya has continued to come up with new strategies to enforce and review legislation on disasters. This he hailed as one of the strategies to prevent cases of rampant gas explosions that have been witnessed in the past few months.
Statistics from the Ministry of Interior show that as of November 2024, there has been a significant increase in road traffic incidents compared to the previous year. Fatalities have risen to 4,282, up from 3,901 in 2023. Serious injuries have also increased, reaching 10,662 compared to 9,501 last year.
Pedestrians and motorcyclists remain the most vulnerable groups, with pedestrian fatalities rising to 3,917 from 3,427 in 2023, and motorcyclist deaths increasing to 4,042 from 3,714.
