Police, NTSA intensify traffic operations to curb accidents
Additional teams are being deployed on key highways, police boss said
22d agoBY MATHEWS NDANYIRift-valley
Twenty-eight people have reportedly sustained injuries after a bus they were travelling in got involved in a grisly road accident in Nakuru county.
The passenger service bus belonging to Easy Coach Ltd rammed into a trailer along on the Nairobi- Nakuru highway at Salgaa area early Monday.
The bus is said to have been headed to Kisumu from Nairobi when the incident happened.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and rushed the victims to nearby hospitals for treatment.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, 12 were rushed to hospital in critical condition, while 16 others were attended to at the scene.
A multi-agency team alongside the Kenya Red Cross responded to the incident and helped in the rescue mission.
The wreckage was towed to Kaptembwo police station, awaiting inspection and necessary action.
Police have launched investigations into the incident.
The rising number of accidents across the country have become a concern.
On Monday, the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula raised concerns over an increasing number of road accidents ahead of the Christmas holidays.
While mourning the victims of the recent road accident, who include ex-Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, Wetang’ula urged road users to act responsibly and save lives.
Wetang’ula said drivers must ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and obey traffic rules, while passengers should report reckless conduct to help avert tragedy.
His statement came after the Sunday night’s fatal accident along the Kisumu-Kisii highway, where 10 people died on the spot in an incident involving two trucks and a van.
Chief Justice Martha Koome warned that risky road behaviour, particularly speeding, tends to increase during holiday travel.
“We note the risky road behaviour which includes speeding, and we were asking one another if, when going for celebrations during this season, we forget that where we are going, whether it is to celebrate in our rural homes or wherever those destinations do not move, so that we speed away,” she said.
Koome called for collaboration across the justice system and among road users, saying public awareness and coordinated enforcement were critical to saving lives.
The Chief Justice said authorities will roll out diverse measures to enhance road safety and prevent traffic-related deaths, noting that many victims are often innocent pedestrians or motorists.
“We must put in place elaborate and diverse measures to enhance road safety and prevent traffic-related deaths,” she said.
“Most of the time, people are innocent, either as pedestrians or drivers and someone else causes the accident.”
Koome announced that mobile traffic courts will be deployed using both physical and digital platforms to fast-track traffic cases during the festive period.
