PSV travel ban to be lifted early February

The Government has indicated it will lift the controversial ban on night travel for long distance public service vehicles (PSVs) in two weeks’ time.

Transport Principal Secretary Parul Mwangi yesterday told MPs that the ministry and relevant authorities had been in talks with all stakeholders in the sector over road safety.

The House team led by Pokot South MP David Pkosing had summoned Mr Mwangi, his Infrastructure counterpart John Mosonik and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) boss Francis Meja to shed light on the cause of increased road accidents.

Top officials from the Traffic Department led by Commandant Jecinta Kinyua were also present at the meeting.

The fatal road accidents that occurred last December along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway were the reference point, as the principal secretaries and Mr Meja were asked to show what they had done to save the situation.

RADICAL MEASURES

Meja suggested some radical measures to curb the road accidents at the Salgaa and Sachang’wan blackspots in Nakuru County as well as other areas in the country.

Among the recommendations are the diversion of PSVs along the Salgaa-Mau Summit Road, outsourcing of motor vehicle inspection and implementation of the Vehicle Body Construction Standards.

“We currently have 17 motor vehicle inspection centres, which are poorly equipped. We rely on visual inspection, which is highly unreliable,” he told the MPs.

Meja appealed to the Pkosing-led committee to help the authority by enacting the Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations Bill, which the agency intends to table in Parliament through the House team.

Pkosing yesterday said his committee would take its oversight role seriously and warned sector stakeholders that they would not escape with just a slap on the wrist when preventable accidents occurred.