Road carnage: 1,189 lives lost since January 2024
A vehicle belonging to Meru Deputy Speaker Mwenda Ali burst into flames after colliding with another vehicle at Kivwe village in Embu County.
Road accidents across the country have claimed at least 1,189 lives since the beginning of the year, an increase of 60 deaths compared to 1,129 recorded in the same period in 2023.
This is according to the latest data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on road crashes between January 1 and April 1, 2024.
“Since the year started 7,198 Kenyans have been involved in road accidents, marking an increase of 1,908 compared to last year, 3,316 were seriously injured and 2,693 suffered from minor injuries,” NTSA said.
In 2023 deaths from crashes stood at 1,129, those who were seriously injured were 2,435, and at least 1,726 were slightly injured.
Pedestrians lead in fatalities at 436, compared with 374 recorded last year while motorcyclists followed with 276 deaths marking a slight decrease compared to 311 in 2023.
In 2024, at least 255 passengers lost their lives in road crashes compared to 211 in 2023 and 98 drivers also lost their lives which is a decrease compared of 108 compared to the same period last year.
Pillion passengers recorded 102 deaths compared to 105 witnessed last year.
This year, only 22 pedal cyclists have died from an accident within the period under review compared to 20 recorded in 2023.
The National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi this week expressed concern over the rising cases of accidents saying such accidents should have caused heads to roll in the relevant ministry.
Mr Wandayi said the Ministry of Transport should urgently come up with a plan of action for Mombasa Road in particular, saying it had become a black spot.
He said that the concerned authorities should instead enforce “decisive behaviour change among roads.”
“This is the root cause of road accidents. What we have today is a failed reactionary system,” Mr Wandayi said.
Speaking on the latest accident that claimed 10 people, Mr Wundanyi said that about two weeks ago, another accident happened along the Nairobi- Mombasa highway, claiming the lives of 11 Kenyatta University students, while injuring 46 other students.
“Like all other countries, Kenya is supposed to halve deaths caused by road accidents by the year 2030 in line with the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. However, the reverse is being witnessed amid high-sounding talk,” Mr Wandayi said.
Among the behaviours the opposition minority leader wants to be checked include speeding, rampant bribery, breach of barrier line, drunk driving and driving when fatigued.
“We need a clear, well-thought-out and sustainable plan by the Ministry of Transport and the National Police Traffic department to reduce deaths on the roads,” Mr Wandayi said.
He said the high level of ignorance among road users, from drivers to pedestrians, needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
He also wants the government through the Transport and Roads Ministry to improve the road infrastructure and replace vandalised signage.
“Speed limit signs and all other signs needed to avert accidents must immediately be displayed at regular intervals across all roads in the country," Mr Wandayi said.
“Many times one can drive for kilometres without seeing any signs that there is a sharp corner, a bump or a roundabout coming up.”
Last year, more than 4,300 people were killed in road accidents while the rest – from the 22,885 that were involved in accidents, were left with life-changing injuries.
The opposition said the prevailing situation where "institutions charged with critical responsibilities for safety seem satisfied with merely sharing data with the public" must be mitigated.
