Police pledge to deal ruthlessly with drivers who break traffic rules

President Uhuru Kenyatta

Police have pledged to deal ruthlessly with drivers who break traffic rules in the wake of the withdrawal of National Transport Safety Authority personnel from roads.

Assistant Inspector General of Police Charles Owino said traffic duties have always belonged to police. President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday ordered NTSA officers off Kenyan roads leaving the enforcement of traffic rules to police.

Asked what the police would do differently to reduce road carnage that has shone the spotlight on NTSA, Mr Owino promised tougher enforcement, increased advocacy campaigns.

“The issue of accidents is a collective responsibility for all of us. The only thing that we can do most is advocacy campaigns,” he told The Standard.

“We will be stricter, tougher on people and with no compromise,” he added.

He dismissed claims of conflict between traffic police and NTSA, saying that the two would continue working together. “We have been doing traffic duties ever since Kenya started having police on the roads. NTSA’s work is majorly policy formulation,” he said.