Between January 1st and May 28th this year, 262 pedestrians have died after being hit by vehicles while 2,035 were left injured.
32 of vehicles involved in hit and run accidents last year were never traced.
These are just some of the shocking statistics that for many people are not just numbers but painful memories of relatives and friends killed or left to live with scars of incidents no one foresaw.
The most shocking of the statistics revealed by National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) perhaps would be that close to half of hit and run accidents in the country take place in Nairobi.
Even more disturbing would be that out of this number, a quarter of the drivers flee the scenes of accidents.
"Squad" Drivers and Touts
While many factors or a combination may be blamed for the situation, few seemingly harmless habits have caused the larger part of the glaring problem.
Speaking to The Nation, NTSA’s director of road safety, Mr Matthew Munyao, said most of the accidents are as a result of the drivers' carelessness and drug abuse.
Munyao further noted that the matatu “squad” system had also contributed to the high number of hit and run accidents.
This is a system, popular among the Public Transport Vehicles (PSVs) in Nairobi where the driver and conductor of a bus or matatu hire a different pair to work for them when they are on breaks to earn extra cash as the owner of the vehicle only asks for a fixed amount.
Many of the squad touts and drivers are hardly qualified to be handling PSVs.
"The fact that the squad teams are not even known by the matatu or bus owners makes it hard to trace them" Munyao said in the interview.
Eluding Consequences
Some of the drivers who flee scenes of accidents do so to escape the wrath of mobs which quickly gather in such scenes. They usually record statements with the police.
Others however, never report and are never traced.
Witnesses are therefore advised to take down the registration numbers and description of vehicles involved in accidents to help the police track down hit and run drivers and bring them to justice.
The drivers of vehicles causing pedestrian accidents are punished depending on the circumstances of the accident.
The Traffic Act states that a person who causes the death of another by driving recklessly or at a speed or in a dangerous manner is liable to imprisonment for not more than 10 years.
The law also provides for fines that reckless drivers should be charged, ranging from Sh, 100,000 to Sh. 300,000 depending on whether its a first time or subsequent offender.
Their driving licenses can also be canceled or suspended.
The recently installed 1,800 security cameras at strategic spots within Nairobi is expected to help bring hit and run drivers as well as other traffic offenders to book.
