Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. Kithure Kindiki has announced a nationwide crackdown on unroadworthy vehicles and rogue drivers to tame rising cases of road carnage in the country.
He said the exercise, to be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport, will target all motor vehicles including tuk tuks and boda boda to avert loss of lives on the roads.
Prof. Kidiki said a meeting has been scheduled between the two ministries and the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) to come up with nationwide law enforcement measures to address the menace.
He said the campaign would target drunk driving and unroadworthy vehicles besides ensuring that all road users observe traffic rules.
Over 1, 000 lives have been lost through road accidents since January saying the figure was too high and alarming, he added.
“Just yesterday, we lost 16 lives, 5 in Bomet and 11 in Voi. The country loses approximately 4, 000 lives annually through road accidents and therefore we must work together to clean our roads of all careless drivers and pedestrians,” the CS noted.
Road carnage has affected families across the country with some forced to sell their land to cater for the medical expenses of loved ones, he said.
“The number of people we are losing in road accidents in a year is higher than the number the country has lost in any other disaster. In 2020 and 2021 when we had the Covid-19 pandemic the country lost about 5, 000 lives but the number of people we are losing in road accidents per year is over 4,000,” he said.
Speaking at Ojola in Kisumu West Sub-County during the official opening of the Deputy County Commissioner’s offices, Kindiki asked traffic police officers and other government officers who would be engaged in the nationwide crackdown to remain vigilant to ensure that the issue is dealt with to the core.
“We must fight corruption of the roads which is a big contributor to the accidents we are witnessing. We have some rogue drivers who bribe errant officers to get away with unroadworthy vehicles and in the process we get into the situation that we are witnessing today,” he said.
On the ongoing crackdown on narcotics, illicit brews and psychotic drugs, the CS said the government would not relent until the menace is completely eradicated.
The country, he said, risked losing a whole generation to drugs and illicit brews if urgent measures are not taken to crackdown on those involved in the illicit trade.
“This is a national security issue. We are losing well abled Kenyans who are supposed to be engaged in building the nation. If this is allowed to continue then in the next ten years when we advertise for positions in the police, army or other sectors we shall not have people to fill them,” he said.
“We will look ahead and continue with a ruthless law enforcement program to rid Kenya of drugs. We are not going to listen to noisemakers who have in the past dealt a blow to this drive,” he said.
The CS said the new office block was set to enhance service delivery through bringing government services closer to the people.
He lauded the community for upholding peace and tranquility in the area adding that his ministry has established a new division in the Sub-County to bring services closer to the people.
“We have established Holo Division which we shall be back to launch in three weeks’ time. The government is going to post an Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) to the new division to enhance service delivery,” he said.
By Chris Mahandara and Carolyne Judith
