President Uhuru Kenyatta signs school bus safety Bill

President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed a Bill that will promote road safety near schools and also promote child safety in school buses.

The Traffic Amendment Act 2017, which seeks to amend the Traffic (cap 403) is among eight Bills signed by the President on Friday.

Coming on a day when a pupil in Mombasa was crashed by a school bus he was riding in, the Act will boost safety of children in vehicles that transport them to and from school.

The Act provides that a person or institution shall not designate or use a vehicle for transporting children to and from school or non-school related activity unless it meets the prescribed standards.

SAFETY BELTS

The school buses are expected to be fitted with safety belts designed to suit children and the standards would ensure unroadworthy vehicles are not used for school transport.

On Friday morning, a kindergarten pupil at St Augustine’s Preparatory School in Mombasa was crushed to death by a school bus in which he was riding.

The boy, 6, was ran over by the back wheels of the bus when he fell down through an opening on the floor of the bus.

The Traffic Amendment Act also fixes the speed limit for all vehicles approaching schools at 50km per hour.

FINE

School buses will be barred from operating between 10pm and 5am and will all be painted yellow.

Any person who contravenes the new provisions commits an offence and will be liable for a fine not exceeding Sh20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months, or both.

Other Bills signed by the President are The Nairobi International Financial Centre Bill, The Kenya Trade Remedies Bill, The President’s Awards Bill, The Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Bill, The

Occupational Therapists (Training Registration and Licensing) Bill, The Kenya National Examination Council Amendment Bill and The Companies Amendment Bill.