School drivers should be vetted

Latest statistics from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) indicate that up to 180 students have died in motor vehicle accidents in the past eight months. Some of them died within their institutions while hanging on school buses or other normal accidents, while others in crashes on roads.

This is shocking and brings into question the suitability of drivers schools are employing. It also calls for immediate interventions to save the lives of these young Kenyans.

Maybe NTSA’s mandate should be expanded so it can vet and ensure drivers learning institutions are hiring have the right qualifications. The agency should also ensure students are not allowed to board school buses before they are insured. The buses should also undergo thorough inspections to help reduce these accidents.