In a bid to reduce the perennial road accidents in the country, Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University has partnered with the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany to set up a Center for Road Safety Awareness and Traffic Injury Surveillance.
The center will be used to conduct research, innovation on the major causes of and mitigation against accidents and the scientific data gathered will be shared with relevant agencies for policy formulation, discovery and innovation in the area of road transport in the country.
KCA Vice Chancellor Prof Isaiah Wakindiki said the German institution is helping out in the formulation stage and that the center, the first of its kind in the country is expected to be completed before the end of this year.
Speaking at the University’s Main Campus in Ruaraka, Nairobi, Prof Wakindiki said the move has been necessitated by the increased number of road accidents in the country, decrying that as a University, they have suffered from accidents involving their students.
“On average, the University has been losing at least a student to a road accident every year probably because we are situated near the Super highway. From January this year to date, we have already lost a student. This is a concern that needs to end,” he said.
The VC said they will work closely with road agencies including the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to streamline the collection and analysis of road carnage data.
Data from the NTSA shows that more than 7,100 Kenyans have been involved in road accidents since the start of the year, with over 1,000 killed, 3,000 being seriously injured and 2,500 suffering minor injuries
The data further shows that pedestrians account for the highest fatalities in 2024 at 436 followed by motorcyclists at 276 fatalities.
“We have been talking about road safety for the longest time through various sectors of the country but no university has domesticated it in the form of a research center. This is what we will do here at KCA University,” Prof Wakindiki said.
On their preparedness, he said they are training their staff on areas of data collection and are working closely with established institutions in Germany that have done a lot in scientific research.
He added that the university is working with other stakeholders to mobilize resources for the establishment of the center.
“At the moment, one of our faculty members is on a three-month scientific visit in Germany and among other things is doing the initial data collection and fine-tuning the setting up of this center,” the VC said.
By Muoki Charles
