Nearly 10 months since President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) off the roads, handing that key responsibility back to the traffic police, there does not seem to have been significant improvement in road safety.
Indeed, NTSA data shows that road accident deaths have risen in the past 12 months by 15 per cent from last year’s 2,021, with 2,326 people killed on the roads between January and October.
At this rate, the death toll could exceed the national average of 3,000 people a year, mostly in road accidents that could have been avoided, with more stringent enforcement of traffic rules and regulations.
The President had hoped that with the NTSA concentrating on policymaking, the police would enhance monitoring and control to curb accidents.
One of the biggest headaches is the endemic corruption in the police service that undermines efforts to make the roads safer.
But quite encouraging is the talk of collaboration between the NTSA and the police in the latest crackdown on errant motorists.
Reports indicate that the Interior ministry has directed the NTSA to join traffic police in the effort.
The NTSA has denied this, but some of its officials recently took part in impromptu checks on motor vehicles along the Nyeri-Nairobi highway.
The real challenge has been the tendency to come up with ad hoc measures in response to public outcries. But these knee-jerk reactions just fizzle out, until another horrible crash occurs.
Efforts to curb the slaughter on our roads should be supported regardless of the agencies involved.
However, their roles should be streamlined to avoid the duplication and wastage of resources.
The NTSA and traffic police are specialised agencies that need to complement each other in the effort to make the roads safer.
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