Ministry of Transport feels the heat

In last week's edition, we highlighted the opportunity to do more for road safety in Kenya. This week, the Ministry of Roads and Transport alongside the Ministry of Interior and National Administration issued an Inter-Ministerial Joint Press Statement on Road Safety. Special attention was paid to public education and risk targeted enforcement. A number of measures focused specifically on school transport.

In a bid to curb the surge in road accidents in the country, Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen directed all schools to have their buses undergo inspection by May 1, 2024. The exercise will be conducted by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

The CS further directed that all learning institutions are required to present their vehicles for inspection by May 1, 2024, to assess their mechanical soundness and whether speed limiters installed on them are functional. Also, school vehicles carrying children are restricted to operate between 6 am and 7 pm.

Moving forward, drivers of school vehicles must validly be licensed by NTSA for the category of school vehicle being driven. Drivers shall have to successfully undergo and pass an annual assessment for criminal record. This shall include convictions of child abuse and incidents of arrests for driving under the influence or other drugs.

These are some among an array of measures announced by the transport ministry towards addressing a larger problem of road safety. Actions will speak louder than words.-AG