The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has asked the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure led by Ndia MP George Kariuki to support their bid to retain Sh3 billion in own-source revenue to fund road safety programs.
In a meeting with the Committee at the NTSA head office in Nairobi, NTSA Director General Nahashon Kodhiwa told lawmakers that the funds are critical to scaling up enforcement, public education, and data systems needed to reduce the rising number of road fatalities in the country.
“NTSA needs to be well facilitated to handle the sector. We generate between Sh9 and Sh10 billion annually of own-source revenue; however, we access a very small percentage of this money, making it difficult for us to do what is required by law,” said Kodhiwa.
“The Sh.3 billion we are seeking to retain will go directly into interventions that save lives. This includes strengthening compliance checks, rolling out digital number plates, enhancing the TIMS system, and expanding road safety campaigns,” he added.
The Committee Chairman, in his response to the request, agreed that the Committee would need to support NTSA in securing financial empowerment to help curb deaths on Kenyan roads.
“I don’t see a reason why all your resources should be moved to the Treasury and leave you struggling; as a Committee, we support your request because it will save lives,” said Kariuki.
Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama and Nyaribari Chache Zaheer Jhanda encouraged NTSA to work closely with other road agencies like KeNHA and KURA to help identify areas of the roads that need attention.
The Committee, however, discouraged NTSA from imposing speed limits on highways, saying the move could worsen traffic congestion.
On the boda boda and matatu sectors, Committee Members urged NTSA to streamline operations to enhance safety and create jobs. They called for relevant policies and increased NTSA presence across the country.
“We want to see intergovernmental relations that involve Governors through the County Assemblies to bring order in the sectors; as we make laws, the policy must come from sectoral agencies,” Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang.
Jomvu MP Twalib Bady encouraged NTSA to continue working with MPs through CDF funding to support youths in the transport sector by training and giving them safety education.
The Committee finalized the meeting by doing an inspection visit to the NTSA motor vehicles inspection unit on Likoni Road, in the Industrial Area.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
