Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Wednesday, April 17, revealed that the county government ought to review some of the existing laws within the Nairobi Traffic Act, citing that certain clauses are archaic.
Speaking during the launch of the National Road Safety Action Plan at KICC, Nairobi, Sakaja revealed that Maasais are among three parties allowed by law to stop a vehicle along the roads in the city. The others include medics in an ambulance and a traffic officer.
While alluding to this, he referenced that the Traffic Act was passed at a time when the Maasais were a permanent fixture on Nairobi roads.
"We need to radically look at our laws. The Traffic Act that we have was first passed on November 11, 1953, and the commencement date was January 1, 1954. It still has some relics of the history of this city," Sakaja stated.
"I will give you an example, there are three people allowed to stop a car according to section 52 of the Nairobi Traffic Act, a police officer, ambulance and maasais herding cattle.
The governor emphasised the importance of reviewing certain laws to reflect the modern outlook of the county.
"I know people have been complaining about the herders in traffic but Nairobi was owned by Maasai so they have authority legally to herd their cows and stop traffic," Sakaja added.
"I don't know if we need to amend that because of the heritage of the city but it tells us that there's something that needs to be looked at in our regulations."
On matters accidents, Sakaja pointed out that all motorists should be accountable and adhere to the traffic rules to prevent a surge in accidents.
The latest data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) showed that 649 people lost their lives in the first two months of 2024. This denoted an increase of 26 lives as compared to the same period in 2023.
"All the rules required are known to all of us. Section 60 of the Act prohibits having more than one pillion passenger (motorbike passenger) on a boda boda but we see five to six people on a bicycle," the governor remarked.
"I don't think there's much more needed in our legal framework. Let's have the shared responsibility to do what is needed to be done."
