New regulations to make boda bodas safe

Earlier in the month, the Transport Ministry held a consultative forum with affiliated agencies in the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), county commissioners, county commandants and regional traffic police commandants.

The forum was to guide the implementation of the new NTSA Motorcycle Regulations 2015 that were developed as a response to the increasing cases of road accidents among motorcycle riders, popularly known as boda boda.

There was a genuine concern that there is need for a more structured mechanism to handle traffic offences and minimise such occurrences.

The latest government statistics indicate that since the beginning of 2016, there have been 1,454 fatalities with boda boda–related accidents accounting for 18 per cent of the deaths.

The increase in such accidents is eroding gains that the NTSA and other agencies—both public and private—have made in making Kenyan roads safer for users.

This realisation is what informed the gazetting of the NTSA Motorcycle Regulations 2015, which aim to bring safety and order to the transport industry.

The new regulations will, for instance, make it a traffic offence to carry more than one passenger on a motorcycle.

Additionally, riders will be required to carry valid documentation, ensure that they and their passengers put on reflector jackets and helmets, and ensure that their headlights are on at all times.

Enforcement also goes beyond riders and stretches to owners of motorcycles, who will be required, among other things, to ensure that the riders they have entrusted to operate their motorcycles have all necessary documents such as licences; the motorcycles are roadworthy and are insured, and are also equipped with two helmets and two reflector jackets.

Motorcycle vendors have not been left behind. They will be required to issue two helmets and two reflector jackets for every motorcycle that they sell. Vendors who are non-compliant will have their dealership licences revoked by the NTSA.

Finally, in as much as motorcycles have created employment, especially among the youth in both urban and rural areas, there is valid concern that there is an increase in the use of these boda bodas for criminal activity, among them carjackings.

Enforcement agencies in respective counties are working on measures to stop the prevalence of these criminal acts.

The new rules that have been gazetted have also taken into account the need for transparency and accountability by enforcement officials.

Some of the initiatives that the ministry has introduced to make administering the regulations seamless and less prone to corruption are instant fines, which will also have the option of being paid via mobile money platforms.

While noting that accidents are not entirely stoppable, it is the Transport Ministry’s belief that accidents are avoidable and in cases where they occur, they are survivable.

The carnage on our roads has to stop and I humbly ask all Kenyans to support the government’s endeavour to make travelling on our roads safe and secure.

Irungu Nyakera is the principal secretary for the State Department of Transport.