The government, through various agencies, including the National Police Traffic Department, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), has put in place the necessary measures to address the deadly accident surge witnessed in the country in the recent past.
Rift Valley Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Jasper Ombati said despite the adequate measures, Kenyans must play their role by ensuring they adhere to the laid-down road safety regulations and observe ethical conduct on roads always.
He insisted that a vast majority of road traffic accidents on Kenyan roads would be averted if the road users changed their behaviour by avoiding speeding, dangerous overtaking, drink-driving, overloading, driver fatigue and careless road crossing.
Ombati flagged out Kinungi-Naivasha-Gilgil Toll Station, Salgaa-Sachangwan-Molo GSU Camp Stretch, Mau Summit around Londiani, Timboroa-Burnt Forest Section and Narok-Mai Mahiu Road as the notorious accident-prone areas in the Rift Valley region, urging motorists to exercise caution when driving through these high-risk areas.
The regional enforcement officer spoke at the Soysambu stretch along the Naivasha-Nakuru Highway at Gilgil after leading a team from various agencies on conducting an audit on the behaviour of motorists and other road users along the Nakuru-Kisumu-Eldoret Highway.
The audit had established that though most Kenyans were generally familiar with road safety measures, some were not necessarily driven to ensure responsible road behaviour by all.
The audit on motorists’ and other road users’ behavioural trends on highways comes just days after a spate of fatal accidents were reported across the country.
According to the Ministry of Roads and Transport, crash data indicates a total of 2,933 fatalities were reported between January and August 10, 2025, while 80 cases were recorded in the last few days.
Ombati cited overlapping as a major act of indiscipline on the highway and pointed out that for five straight days last week, motorists along the Nakuru-Kisumu-Eldoret Highway were caught in a gridlock stretching for kilometres, leaving hundreds stranded for hours, with some spending the night on the road.
“These jams are a stark reflection of our behavioural tendencies. Overlapping lanes, disregard for traffic rules and a “me-first” attitude exacerbate already dire situations,” the Police chief warned.
He identified areas where drivers were notorious for overlapping along the highway as the Barnabas, Mbaruk, Kingdom Seekers, St Mary’s, Kikopey, Naivasha and Kinungi stretches.
“Our discipline as Kenyan motorists and road users needs some adjustments. It all starts with an individual changing his or her personal attitude and taking responsibility for safe use of roads,” he advised.
Other unruly behaviour, according to the regional police boss, could also be blamed for road carnage. These include dazzling oncoming motorists with full beams, tailgating (following too closely), accelerating to block overtakers, hogging the road and changing lanes improperly.
Some of these behaviours are not offences as specifically mentioned in the Traffic Act.
Ombati confirmed that in the past 24 hours three incidents had been reported in Nakuru County, where a nurse had been killed in a road smash-up involving two vehicles in the Salgaa area, an accident which preliminary investigations had established was caused by careless overtaking.
In Molo, two pillion passengers, a mother and her daughter, were said to have lost their lives after a motorist hit the motorbike that was ferrying the duo, with the rider sustaining serious injuries.
In a third incident, Ombati noted that major traffic disruption occurred Monday morning on the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway after a Western Kenya-bound bus caught fire at Soysambu, where over 60 occupants escaped death narrowly along the Highway at 3am.
According to the Rift Valley Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer, the bus developed a mechanical problem before the bus overturned and moments later burst into flames. The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated, Ombati added.
He said that to effectively prevent deaths on Kenyan roads, all stakeholders in the road transport sector must play their roles, adding that road carnage caused immense suffering to the affected families, and every possible measure should be taken to prevent further loss of life.
According to the police chief, pedestrian-related accidents, often involving unsafe crossings, also posed significant risks, with vehicle mechanical conditions, such as brake failures and tyre bursts emerging from poor maintenance, further contributing to the accidents.
Ombati said that all Kenyans must take responsibility because there were instances where blame had been apportioned to some road users, saying there was a tendency to apportion responsibility where pedestrians, boda bodas or motorists are careless, and sometimes people cross the roads without looking to confirm there are no vehicles and expect the drivers to take care of them.
Ombati said the National Police Service, alongside other stakeholders, continues to step up efforts through multi-pronged strategies, including monitoring the speed of public service vehicles (PSVs) and commercial vehicles, enforcing against overloading of goods and excess passengers, and cracking down on PSVs contravening licensed routes.
The National Police Service is also conducting anti-drink driving operations, removing unlawful lights on motor vehicles, verifying National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)-issued licences, taking unroadworthy vehicles off the road, and assessing PSV Sacco compliance.
“Let every road user be aware of the consequences of their actions and take responsibility for their own safety and that of others,” he said.
Ombati stated that the NPS will continue supporting NTSA in its efforts to scale up coordination of road safety initiatives, including public education and awareness to support behaviour and attitude change.
He warned both PSV and private motorists’ drivers to adhere to traffic regulations and prioritize road safety, adding that the message was clear: that is, violating traffic rules will not be tolerated, and offenders will be dealt with accordingly.
This serves as a call for increased accountability and respect for traffic laws, said the official.
“We are cracking down on overlapping to speeding, drunk driving, exceeding carrying capacities, and driving dangerously on pavements, pedestrian walkways and petrol stations to escape traffic,” Ombati warned.
By Esther Mwangi and Lucy Mukui
