Road safety awareness to reduce traffic accidents by 60 per cent, says task force

A task force formed to review the transport sector in Kenya has raised the alarm over the low level of awareness among the public on traffic rules.

The task force says the country could avoid up to 60 per cent of road accidents if a vigorous road safety awareness campaign is conducted.

Acting chair of the task force Masud Salim has accused both motorists and pedestrians of being ignorant of traffic rules.

Poor road design and erratic enforcement of traffic rules have also featured among issues raised by stakeholders from regions visited by the task force.

Frequent accidents and the need to have safety and order on the roads necessitated the formation of the task force by Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku.

Kenya has been losing an average of 3,000 lives through road accidents annually.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, during the first quarter of this year, some 679 lives were lost through road accidents as compared to 880 lives lost during the same period last year.

The task force has worked on five out of seven concerns captured in its terms of reference and is currently on the sixth that involves collection of views from stakeholders.

The task force has already met officials in Gilgil, Kericho and Kisumu and is now  seeking views from other stakeholders. Its members are drawn from the National Police Service Commission, Administrative Police, Criminal Investigative Department and other units within the police force.

A workshop will be called to validate all the views and comments gathered to come up with resolutions. A report with recommendations and timelines will be tabled to ensure all of them are implemented.