The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Thursday kicked off a nationwide crackdown targeting drivers breaking traffic laws.
An official at the authority confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke that the crackdown was conducted by its officers along major highways across the country.
We obtained photos of the ongoing exercise in Eldoret, Nakuru, Thika, and Nyeri among other areas but it remains unclear how many drivers were arrested.
NTSA noted that a majority of the violations during the crackdown included public service vehicles and commercial vehicles operating without valid inspection stickers as well as the operation of unlicensed PSVs.
The authority also noted that there was a proliferation of unroadworthy vehicles as well as drivers operating without driving licenses.
In other cases, drivers were found operating with expired driving licenses and motor vehicles on the roads with worn-out tires. In other cases, officers found illegal lights installed on vehicles.
All these factors, the agency noted endanger the lives of Kenyans
The crackdown comes a day after the authority revealed that 649 people lost their lives through road accidents between January 1 and February 20 this year, compared to 673 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 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.
Last year, the authority indicated that 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.
