The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has called on all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and even others using micromobility like scooters and skateboards on the road to be vigilant and observe traffic rules while using the road in order to avoid accidents, especially now as the Christmas festive season is approaching.
The NTSA officials and other stakeholders including National Police Service passed the message to Kenyans on Sunday as they joined the world in commemorating World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims 2025, with the theme Remember Support Act, in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
Speaking in a press briefing during the event which was attended by various stakeholders, including driving schools, motorists, health care providers and others, NTSA Director of Road Safety Dr. Andrew Kiplagat raised concerns over the increasing number of road traffic accidents as he urged all stakeholders to be careful on the roads in order to bring down the worrying number of deaths and injuries emanating from various road users.
“As we gather today to remember the people we have lost through road accidents, we look at the numbers and it’s concerning. We have lost over 4,100 Kenyans who didn’t deserve to lose their lives. And in this particular region of Uasin Gishu, it contributes about 3 percent of these deaths,” indicated Dr. Kiplagat.
He said it is very important to address the issue because as per the numbers, “the majority of those we are dying, about 30 percent or more, are pedestrians. These are people who are walking, followed closely by the motorcyclists,”
He revealed that the operators and the passengers contribute about 35 percent of the deaths. This means the pedestrians, the motorcyclists and the pillion passengers contribute over 70 percent.
“And therefore, today, as we remember the fallen persons, we call upon all of us to be extra carefully to avoid theses undeserving deaths. We are all road users. We are pedestrians at any particular time, we use Boda Bodas. We use vehicles. We call upon all of us to be careful,” he warned.
He alluded that road safety is a shared responsibility and it starts with an individual before spreading to other persons. If every one of us takes care of ourselves, then we bring down those numbers.
Dr. Kiplagat affirmed that the government, through the agencies like NTSA and many others, will do its bit in terms of sensitization and enforcement to ensure safety but the citizens need to play their part also by embracing stopping alcoholism while driving, over speeding and other reckless acts on the road that lead to accidents must be vices that should be done away with.
“Let’s look at our behaviors. Where do we walk? Are we visible to motorists? Are we risking our lives from where we walk? If we are pillion passengers, are we safe, if we are motorcycle riders, are we carrying one passenger as stipulated by the law? Are we putting on helmets? Claimed the NTSA Road Safety Director.
Paul Posh, a Member of Road Safety Board, NTSA, noted that the increasing road traffic accidents is significant because it is proportional to increase in the number of motor vehicles, motorcycles and human population on the road especially in urban areas.
“As more people get onto the road, carelessness tends to increase. That’s why we see that in most urban centers, we get more accidents, as opposed to rural areas where there are very few vehicles and people,” he said.
Christine Tonui, Director of Health Administration and Chair of Road Safety Mainstreaming Committee at MTRH, said road accidents are something that can easily be avoided if everyone is keen by observing traffic rules.
“There are so many dreams that have been broken, there are so many careers that have been lost, and somebody’s journey has been brought to an end. A road accident is something that can be avoided if we are keen on the road, if we are keen as pedestrians, if we are keen as boda boda riders,” observed Tonui.
In his remarks, Dr. Darwin Ambuka, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), highlighted that there is always an increase in the numbers of people seeking medical attendance after being involved in a road accident and the graph keeps on rising especially at the beginning of the month, when people have received their salaries. The numbers
By Ekuwam Sylvester
