Rising road carnage puts NTSA on collision course with leaders
What you need to know:
- More than 50 people have died in road accidents over the past three weeks .
- Another 15 people died on a single night on June 30 in two separate accidents.
- Since its formation in 2012 to oversee transport in Kenya and restore sanity on the roads after the collapse of the much-admired Michuki Rules, the authority has introduced one rule after another on almost a monthly basis.
- The Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Thika Superhighway, Nakuru-Eldoret highway, Eastern Bypass and Waiyaki Way are the most dangerous roads.
The rising cases of road carnage have put the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on the spot, even as it insists the death toll is going down when compared with the number of vehicles.
More than 50 people have died in road accidents over the past three weeks — with 16 killed on a single night two weeks ago, including seven family members at Salgaa trading centre, Nakuru. Another 15 people died on a single night on June 30 in two separate accidents.
Frustration about the failure of NTSA reached the Senate last Wednesday, with legislators questioning the authority’s ability to minimise road accidents which are claiming hundreds of lives.
“What steps are being taken by the NTSA to secure our roads? There have been many grisly accidents all over the country, particularly at Salgaa in Nakuru. What is NTSA doing about irresponsible drivers? People are being knocked down yet there is clear road signage,” said Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula.
Since its formation in 2012 to oversee transport in Kenya and restore sanity on the roads after the collapse of the much-admired Michuki Rules, the authority has introduced one rule after another on almost a monthly basis.
The last such regulations were introduced two weeks ago to curb drink driving, just days after eight university students died on the Kisii-Kilgoris road. Bottles of alcohol were found at the scene.
Under the new measures announced by NTSA director Francis Meja, motorists will be issued with electronic driving licences that are connected to insurers.
MOTORISTS PLEAD GUILTY
Last month, the authority said motorists who plead guilty to committing traffic offences will pay pocket friendlier fines and avoid appearing in court in what was seen as an effort to combat bribery.
But the number of deaths from road accidents tell a different story, raising questions on the effectiveness of the authority.
Daily data for the first half of the year from NTSA shows some 1,585 people died through road accidents, a 5.7 per cent rise from the 1,499 who died in the same period last year. Like last year, pedestrians are the most affected, with 615 deaths.
Those injured in the first half of the year also increased by 27 per cent, from 5,623 to 7,160. Of these, 2,606 sustained serious injuries while 2,969 suffered slight injuries.
At 76 per cent, men lead in terms of gender.
Nairobi is the top county you are likely to die from an accident — at 26 per cent. It is followed by Nakuru (13 per cent), Kiambu (10 per cent), Machakos (8.6 per cent), Makueni (6 per cent), Kilifi (5 per cent) and Kajiado (5 per cent). Other counties in the top 10 list are Kisumu (4.4 per cent), Kakamega (4 per cent) and Bungoma (3 per cent). The other counties share the remaining 17 per cent.
The Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Thika Superhighway, Nakuru-Eldoret highway, Eastern Bypass and Waiyaki Way are the most dangerous roads.
On Thika Road, Mombasa Road and Waiyaki Way, almost all the accidents are of pedestrians getting knocked down despite the existence of flyovers.
The GSU area, Githurai Underpass, Homeland zebra crossing, Bellevue, General Motors, Capital Centre, Nairobi School, Sodom, KARI and South C flyover are the most dangerous spots on these three roads.
Despite the sharp rise in fatalities, setting the stage for another increase in deaths for two years in a row, NTSA director Francis Meja, while releasing the annual results in March, said the numbers would be lower than last year.
“All indications are that this year the fatalities will be lower than last year,” he said.
“The other thing that Kenyans don’t understand is that road safety is influenced by a number of factors. As we increase our road network, the risk factors will be more; the more vehicles on the roads the higher the risk of accidents,” he explained.
Recently released reports from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics state: “Newly registered motor vehicles increased from 102,606 units in 2014 to 107,761 units in 2015, representing a 5 per cent growth.”
Data from NTSA shows that during the same period, the number of deaths increased by 5.1 per cent, from 2,907 in 2014 to 3,057 in 2015, which is 0.1 per cent higher than the increase in the number of registered vehicles.
Since the inception of NTSA, the number of deaths on Kenyan roads has risen, except in 2014 when it dropped by 8 per cent to 2,907 from 3,191 the previous year. That year, motor vehicle registration dropped by 2 per cent from 222,178 in 2013 to 218,057.
Transport Licensing Appeals Board chairman John Mututho, who has promised to streamline NTSA, says the authority has not been effective because it has been abusing its power.
ADDRESSING GRIEVANCES
“NTSA has been doing things very badly. Some of the things they do are not pegged on any law. The officers have been abusing their power in so many ways,” he said.
“The feeling by the public has been that of oppression by an overbearing authority, or that the law is not addressing their grievances,” he said.
The World Bank estimates that Kenya is losing about 5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product, which is approximately Sh310 billion, to accidents every year. This is the estimated cost of treating victims, loss of livelihoods and loss of manpower.
Accidents kill the most productive age set in Kenya, with 76 per cent of fatalities since the beginning of the year ranging from 20-50 years. A huge percentage of this group, 35 per cent, are aged 30-40 years, while 26.9 per cent are between 20-30 years. Only 2.9 per cent of those who have died on the roads since January are aged above 60 while 9.5 per cent are below 10 years old.
Mr Meja argues: “International best practices look at the ratio, not at an absolute number. They look at fatalities per a population of 100. When you plot that graph, comparing the fatalities per 100 vehicles, you can actually see a drop.”
The Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) and NTSA — which have for the past three years been trading accusations, have this week been pointing fingers at each other.
The matatu group says NTSA’s board members lack the experience required to make informed decisions on road safety. “Efforts in public education and awareness by NTSA should start at the grassroots, not in urban areas,” said MWA chairman Dickson Mbugua.
But Mr Meja says MWA has no role in dictating the authority’s mandate. “These are the people preventing this industry from moving to the next level. It is really unfortunate,” he says.
