The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is on the spot over some of its officials allegedly colluding with driving schools to irregularly issue driving licenses.
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah raised alarm over the growing malpractice, accusing the Authority of compromising public safety on Kenyan roads.
While seeking a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Roads and Transportation on Wednesday, November 19, Omtatah asserted that the practice contributed to the alarming state of road safety on major highways and roads across the country.
His sentiments come amid previous allegations of NTSA colluding with driving schools to irregularly issue driving licenses. One instance was highlighted after an exposé by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where undercover journalists, who had never driven, managed to obtain driving licenses, claiming they didn’t sit for the required driving test.
In one driving school in Eastleigh, an official offered to get the license without them having to sit the test, for Ksh14,000. The investigators said a contact within NTSA at the NTSA headquarters helped them process a smart driving license, and they paid him Ksh6,000 plus another Ksh2,000.
Also, the Kenya Driving Schools Association (KDSA) has publicly alleged that unscrupulous NTSA officials colluded with certain driving schools to issue licenses to people who never trained or took proper tests.
They claimed some instructors and driving school staff work as part of a 'racket' that allows people to buy licenses, rather than truly learn.
Back in September, the Road Safety Association of Kenya called for the revocation of all driving licenses issued by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in the past six years.
As per the group’s chair, David Kiarie, most licenses issued during that period were given to people who did not attend driving school and just paid for them.
"In these six years, 80 per cent of the licenses that have been issued have been given to people who did not go to school, and this is the reason that you are seeing this carnage and deaths are increasing on our roads," he claimed.
As a result, Omtatah urged the Committee to seek details on the actions being taken to address graft within NTSA, as well as the mechanisms in place to regulate and audit driving schools to ensure they provide proper training and only qualified drivers are licensed.
The vocal Senator also called upon the national government to provide the Senate with the measures being taken by the Ministry of Roads and Transport and NTSA to improve road safety and reduce accidents.
Omtatah further pointed out that major highways, such as the Nairobi-Mombasa, Malaba-Eldoret and Eldoret-Malaba, were poorly lit, lacked proper signage, and were riddled with unmarked and hazardous bumps, putting motorists and pedestrians at risk.
"The Roads Committee should report to this House the steps the Government is taking to ensure that all major highways and roads are adequately lit and fitted with proper signage to enhance visibility and safety," he submitted.
