New data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has revealed that Kenya loses approximately Ksh450 billion annually due to road crashes.
The data, released on Wednesday, indicated that between January 1 and February 20, 649 people lost their lives in road accidents, compared to 673 fatalities during the same period last year.
According to the data, there has been an increase in fatalities among motor vehicle passengers, rising from 114 to 125, while pedestrian fatalities surged from 190 to 252.
Overall, pedestrians led in fatalities followed by motorcyclists (158), passengers (125), pillion passengers (61), drivers (43), and pedal cyclists (10).
The authority indicated that the crashes pose a huge toll on the socio-economic well-being of the country, setting it back money to the tune of Ksh450 billion.
“The annual socioeconomic losses in Kenya as a result of road crashes are estimated to be more than Sh450 billion. There is a need to sustainably finance road safety programmes and cost-effective safety investments in Kenya over the next decade,” NTSA stated.
It also revealed that Thika Superhighway Outering Road, Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, Eastern Bypass, and Northern Bypass are the most dangerous roads in Nairobi.
“Five roads in Nairobi County, representing two per cent of the road network, account for 36 per cent of all fatal crashes in the country,” the authority added.
An earlier report from the authority showed that between January and December 2023, 4,324 people died in road accidents with the most affected categories being pedestrians and motorcyclists.
A total of 1,591 pedestrians lost their lives in road accidents, while 1,133 motorcyclists also lost their lives during the same period.
The data also revealed that the period between 7-9 pm was the most deadly and unsafe for travelling on Kenyan roads, with 1,100 fatalities recorded during this time frame.
Within this period, 7-8 pm was identified as the most perilous hour, with 410 fatalities recorded. The interval between 8-9 pm followed closely as the second most dangerous hour, with 359 fatalities reported in 2023.
