In the wake of a surge in air, road and rail accidents in the country, new legislation has been proposed to change how transport accidents are investigated.
Limuru MP John Kiragu has proposed a bill that seeks to amend how Kenya handles accident investigations by centralising the oversight of transportation safety in the country under one institution.
Appearing before the Transport Committee on Tuesday, August 5, Kiragu argued that the current accident investigation and prevention structure was disjointed and left room for inefficiencies and delayed responses.
He emphasised the urgent need for an integrated approach across road, rail, air, marine, and pipeline transport. To do this, the lawmaker proposed legislation that would assign overall responsibility to one entity.
Kiragu called for the government to designate the joint responsibility to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to create a unified, cross-sector approach in transport safety.
Currently, different agencies handle accident investigations of different modes. NTSA and police investigate road accidents, Kenya Railways handles rail incidents, while aircraft crashes fall under the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID) at the State Department for Transport.
During the deliberation, the proposal sparked mixed reactions from the legislators. While some showed support for the bill, others expressed concerns over its viability.
Led by Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang, the opposing members cautioned that NTSA’s dual role as a regulator may compromise its independence, especially in aviation.
According to Mumias West MP Johnson Naicca, NTSA is already a regulator in the road transport sector, and thus giving it additional roles would interfere with the road transport sector.
“We need to know where things stand with the Bureau. Before NTSA is handed broader responsibilities, we must ensure the institutional framework guarantees true independence, especially in line with international best practices," said MP Kajwang.
Following the deliberations, the lawmakers agreed to meet with Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to discuss how the proposed bill can align with international best practices.
The latest move comes barely two years after the government formed the Kenya Transport Accident Investigation Bureau to probe accidents across road, rail, and maritime sectors, but its operational status remains unclear.
