Protests have broken out outside the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) offices in Nairobi, calling for the exit of the authority's Director General, George Njao.
Led by road safety lobby groups, the protesters claimed that Njao had refused to proceed to terminal leave pending his retirement, defying a decision that the board had already made.
This comes even after the NTSA advertised the position in the MyGov issue on Tuesday, November 4.
Speaking during the protests, John Mutisya, Secretary General of the Speed Governors and Roads Safety Association, called on management to resolve the matter promptly ahead of the December festivities, often characterised by increased road carnage.
"We are asking the new management that the first item they need to embrace now that we are heading to the festive season and the schools are closing and opening is to solve the crisis that we have heard that the DG is refusing to oblige the board's decision that he proceeds to terminal leave. Please, Mr Njao, I'm asking you to obey your employer," he implored.
He further accused Njao of threatening the board members and name-dropping big names like President William Ruto, the Transport CS and the PS to blackmail the leadership to continue staying in office unlawfully.
On the other hand, the chair of the Road Safety Association of Kenya, David Kiarie, claimed that the DG was supposed to start his terminal leave on Saturday, November 1, but had refused to do so.
"The DG was given terminal leave, which was to start on Saturday, November 1. He is supposed to have left the office, but we are here because we received information that he has refused to leave," Kiarie said.
This comes just days after the same lobby group issued an ultimatum to the NTSA Board of Governors, urging it to advertise for a new DG and have one in an acting capacity in a week's time.
The protesters had camped outside the NTSA headquarters on October 23, demanding that the DG exit his post, which ended in October 2022 but was reportedly unlawfully extended for another three-year term, resulting in lawsuits.
Since 2022, the DG has gone through a series of court cases seeking his removal, all of which ruled in his favour, allowing him to complete another contentious term.
The embattled DG has been accused of facilitating the spike in road carnage through deep-rooted graft in the authority that allegedly allows for the issuance of driving licences to untrained drivers and inspection certificates to unroadworthy vehicles, among others.
