President Uhuru directs NTSA to leave Kenyan highways

NTSA at the scene of an accident. [Courtesy]

In the wake of mounting road carnage, President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to leave the manning of Kenyan roads to traffic police.

Speaking at the burial of the three African Independent Pentecostal Church (AIPCA) bishops who died in road accident on December 29, 2017 in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, the president said, “Today the government is directing all NTSA officers on the roads to go back (to offices) and leave traffic duties to the police.”

Uhuru would further urge the citizenry to be intolerant of careless and dangerous drivers saying the enforcement of traffic rules and safety was the responsibility of every Kenyan.

He said that over 80 per cent of the road crashes were caused by people who did not maintain their vehicles, were careless and speeding.

The Head of State spoke at Maili Tatu stadium, Igembe Central, during the burial of three bishops.

The requiem mass for Bishops Philip Kubai, Stanley Karuru and Moses Ntoeruri took place at the stadium.

They were buried in the church compounds of their dioceses.

Over the December festive season, about 300 Kenyans lost their lives on the roads with the most severe accidents happening on the Salgaa and Migaa blackspots along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

When asked to comment on the President’s directive, NTSA Director General Francis Meja said he will comment on President Uhuru's directive to kick out his officers from Highways once he had full details.

Meja said since it is a President's order the authority will have no choice but to comply.

"We are yet to get full details of the order but once we get it, we will be able to reorganize ourselves accordingly," he said.

He noted that manning highways was not the only duty of the authority maintaining it was just a complimentary one.

"We have other functions such as registration of cars, issuing driving licences and enforcing compliance among other roles which are still intact," he said.

In order to carry out its duty on the highways, the authority acquired a fleet of Peugeots of which one batch was reported to cost Sh631 million.

Meja said they French-made cars will be put into other uses.

NTSA was established through an Act of Parliament, Number 33 on October 26, 2012 with a mandate to harmonise the operations of the key road transport departments and help in effectively managing the road transport sub-sector and minimizing loss of lives through road crashes.

COMMENTARY

The President’s directive is likely to elicit considerable debate.  Although NTSA had its fair share of weaknesses, it had restored a degree of sanity on Kenya’s roads.

It was particularly good at maintaining speed limits because its officers were either less corrupt than traffic policemen or asked for bigger bribes.

The authority had also discouraged drunk-driving through well-publicized operations coupled with heavy court fines that would go as high Sh50,000 besides car-towing charges.

Kicking NTSA out of the roads is therefore the best New Year’s gift to drunk-driving Kenyans and pub owners, some of who had lost considerable business.

The authority, the brainchild of one-time Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau and other technocrats had also thrown a measure of order into the public transport sector forcing matatu owners to fit speed limiters on their vehicles.

NTSA also ensured matatus were run by Saccos that would be punished collectively if one  of their own erred therefore ensuring positive peer pressure.

With the less-dreaded traffic policemen running the show on their own, It is possible that there will be a spike on road crashes.

-Wambua Sammy