The past month has witnessed an escalation in traffic accidents, with an alarming surge in fatalities and injuries.
Between August 1 and September 6, an analysis of media reports shows that the country has recorded 27 traffic accidents, resulting in a devastating toll of 79 lives lost and 182 individuals injured.
Meru: 12 people killed in Nithi bridge accident on Chuka road
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) data shows that as of August 27, 7,114 accidents have been reported compared to 6,411 during the same period last year.
A total of 15,651 people have been involved in the accidents, leaving 3,056 dead and 12,586 with minor and serious injuries. There have been concerns about how motorists have been complying with traffic rules, with the worst accident witnessed during the past month blamed on driver negligence.
The accident, which claimed 14 lives and left 55 others injured, could have been avoided, according to those who survived the incident.
Lovin Ingati, one of the survivors of the Coast Bus crash, said the Mombasa-bound bus had mechanical issues that were ignored even by police officers.
“While we were waiting for the bus to be repaired in Kericho after it broke down, one of the passengers even went to the police station and came back with an officer. The police officer spoke to the driver and the mechanic. To our surprise, he told us to wait for the vehicle to be fixed so we can continue our journey,” he said. The crew also defied a request to change the vehicle, he added. Mr Ingati said the vehicle passed two police roadblocks without being stopped, despite what he termed its “obvious mechanical problems”.
The brakes failed, and the bus crashed at the Migaa blackspot. Another tragic scene of horrific accidents that continue to claim lives is the Tharaka Nithi bridge, where 12 lives were lost on August 31.
14 people killed, 55 injured in road crash involving Coast Bus at Migaa on Nakuru-Eldoret Highway
Eight women, two men and two children coming from a function died on the spot after a head-on collision with a pickup. Despite numerous promises to redesign the bridge, including one by President William Ruto, the spot remains dangerous for travellers.
Following the incident, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the government was committed to ensuring the road was fixed.
“I have spoken to the Transport principal secretary, who has told me the designs are almost complete. I have instructed him to fast-track the process. We have continued to lose many people at the spot, which is not right, and I will personally follow it up,” he said.
NTSA data also shows that pedestrians are still leading in fatalities, highlighting the need for more awareness of road safety. “Nairobi County had the highest number of pedestrian deaths (251).
This is 58 per cent of the total fatalities that have occurred within the county. Kiambu was the second leading with 205 fatalities,” said NTSA in its report.
Heavy traffic on Eldoret-Nakuru Highway after Simba bus plunges into river, traps passengers
Since the year began, 1,177 pedestrians have died, 262 drivers, 595 passengers and 710 motorcyclists. An additional 53 cyclists and 259 pillion passengers have also lost their lives.
The majority of the pedestrian deaths were attributed to crossing at undesignated places, poor road designs and distracted driving and walking.
On August 25, five people died while coming from an introduction ceremony at the bride’s family home when their vehicle collided with an oncoming tanker in Murgus.
Another family lost four members in Mbaruk on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway while travelling to their Kakamega home for a holiday.
The sole survivor of the accident, 35-year-old Christopher Ambani, lost his wife and three children—including their four-year-old firstborn and sixmonth-old twins— in the incident.
Their nanny also perished in the early morning accident on August 13. Mr Ambani sustained fractures to his hands and leg.
The delivery of a brand new Range Rover to its owner from Mombasa to Nairobi was not to be after the car was involved in a head-on collision with a canter ferrying grain in Maji ya Chumvi. Jamal Mubarak, who was designated to drive the car, and a female passenger died instantly in the crash.
At the Sachangwan blackspot in Nakuru, 26 pupils, three teachers and a cook from Rockside Academy in Nairobi narrowly escaped after the driver of a tow truck behind the school bus lost control of the car and rammed into the vehicle carrying the pupils.
The school bus then collided with two other private cars, causing them to veer off the road and land in a ditch.
Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, and the injured were taken to various hospitals for treatment. About 25 Kenya Defence Forces officers were injured after the driver missed a bump near the Kibingoti area, causing the army truck to lose control and roll.
The August 12 accident happened on a foggy morning as the officers were headed to Nairobi from Nyeri. The latest reported incident left three dead after a truck and a pickup vehicle collided headon in Fort Ternan on the Londiani-Muhoroni highway on Friday, September 6.
Eighteen people were left injured after two matatus and a private vehicle were involved in an accident in the Siyipei area on the Narok-Mai Mahiu road last Tuesday, August 27.
While the assumption is that most deaths in traffic accidents are caused by public service vehicles, NTSA’s report shows that motorcycles caused most deaths (1,157 deaths), commercial vehicles followed with 1,086 deaths, and private vehicles caused 1,078 deaths.
The PSVs were responsible for 522 fatalities, or 12 per cent of the total lives lost. The report also notes that the majority of Kenyans dying from road accidents perish during the weekends, noting that traffic law enforcement has been low in that period.
Sunday had the highest fatalities, with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday contributing to the highest number of deaths with a combined figure of 51.1 per cent in the 2022–23 financial year.
