MPs want police chiefs jailed over road crashes

MPs want traffic police officers to bear responsibility for road accidents occurring in their areas of jurisdiction.

They are also pushing to have the owners of public transport vehicles also share the liability for such mishaps.

The parliamentary committee on Transport is planning to introduce the tough measures as a way of reducing road accidents in the country.

DRINK DRIVING

It specifically wants traffic police bosses committed to jail for accidents caused by speeding, drink driving, mechanical faults or sheer carelessness on the roads.

The MPs also want the Traffic Act amended so that if a vehicle is found speeding, the traffic police officer on duty in that area is jailed for allowing a vehicle with a faulty speed governor to be on the road.

The committee chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing has summoned Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and officials from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) this morning for a discussion on how to end the carnage.

The committee is also proposing that the owners of the accident vehicles be made to shoulder responsibility for deaths and injuries.

The committee yesterday held a closed-door meeting over the increasing road accidents that resulted in the deaths of 250 people over the December festive period.

NTSA

“The high rate of accidents in the country is worrying and as part of our mandate, we have summoned the CS Transport and NTSA officials so that we can have realistic strategies to stop accidents,” Mr Pkosing said yesterday.

“It is not going to be business as usual as many Kenyans have died due to mistakes that can be avoided,” he added.

The committee will also discuss the night travel ban imposed by the NTSA following the December accidents. They will also seek ways of creating deeper harmony between the NTSA and police officers.

“We will have a way forward on the night travel ban because we need to have a balance between safety on our roads and the economy. We want NTSA to strictly deal with the safety of public vehicles while police officers remain with the function of enforcing the law but we will discuss the proposal with the parties concerned,” Mr Pkosing said.

President Kenyatta recently ordered NTSA officers off the roads and let police patrol the highways.