Be careful on roads, motorists urged as festive season begins
National Transport and Safety Authority officials and police officers during a crackdown on traffic laws violators at Salgaa on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway on December 4, 2025.
Calls for motorists to exercise greater caution on the roads are growing louder as new statistics reveal a worrying rise in traffic fatalities.
According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), 4,458 people died in road crashes between January 1 and December — an increase from 4,311 recorded over the same period in 2024.
The surge cuts across all categories of road users, with pedestrians and motorcyclists remaining the most vulnerable. This year alone, more than 1,400 pedestrians and about 1,000 motorcyclists have lost their lives—figures that community leaders and safety advocates say demand urgent behavioural change.
The latest crash killed seven people at Miasenyi in Taita-Taveta County on the Nairobi Mombasa highway after a matatu was involved in a head-on collision with a trailer on Sunday.
The holiday period sees a surge in passenger numbers, prompting operators to increase the number of trips and maximise profits which leads to fierce competition on highways, where speed often becomes the determining factor in attracting passengers or meeting operational targets.
December remains particularly dangerous due to the sheer volume of travel. As families journey to rural homes or holiday destinations, the highways become congested, increasing the likelihood of collisions.
Police and the NTSA have intensified a crackdown on major highways across the country to ensure safety during the busy December holidays.
It is against this backdrop that officers from NTSA, members of NGO Enabling Trend, bodaboda riders and local residents recently gathered in Makongeni, Thika, to push for safer road practices and reinforce the message that road safety is a shared responsibility.
Bodaboda rider Naftaly Gichane encouraged his colleagues to strictly follow the Traffic Act and Highway Code.
“The Traffic Act gives us regulations that guide all road users. We must obey them,” he said, urging riders to maintain valid insurance and licences, and ensure their motorcycles are roadworthy. He emphasised the importance of helmets and reflective gear—for both riders and passengers.
NTSA officials supported the training with practical demonstrations before distributing helmets and reflector jackets to improve visibility along the busy BAT-Makongeni–Blue Post corridor.
For Humphrey Obulo, a Nation Media Group rider who has survived five road crashes, safety is a life-and-death matter.
“Before you go to the road, know that it is your individual responsibility to protect your life and the lives of other road users, and remember you have a family that depends on you,” he told the meeting.
Fridah Kirema, an administration supervisor at NMG, also the founder of Enabling Trend an NGO that supports road crash survivors living with disabilities, when she addressed bodaboda riders and the local community on road safety in Makongeni, Thika.
A powerful testimony came from Fridah Kirema, an NMG administration supervisor and founder of Enabling Trend, who survived a traumatic crash along Mai Mahiu Road in 2012. The accident left her with a spinal injury and multiple fractures.
“When you have a road crash, your life kind of crashes too,” Ms Kirema said. Daily routines, she said, now take hours and require caregiver support. She credits her family, colleagues and friends for helping her rebuild her life, and says her experience inspired her to start Enabling Trend to support persons with disabilities—many of them road-crash survivors.
Kenya Red Cross representative Anthony Kuria praised the partnerships driving community-based safety initiatives.
“This campaign will ensure that our brothers and sisters get home safe,” he said.
He urged riders to avoid risky behaviour and learn basic first aid, noting that communities often serve as first responders.
With the festive season approaching, Jane Chege of Del Monte Kenya reminded Kenyans to remain vigilant.
“It is the responsibility of every road user to be cautious. This way, everyone will be kept safe,” she said.
As a psychologist, she noted that anger and stress can trigger dangerous decisions: “When people are annoyed, that is when they decide to take their bikes or take a walk to cool off. Let us exercise caution.”
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