As the world records slow but steady progress in cutting down road traffic deaths through stronger enforcement, better infrastructure and smarter technology, Kenya seems to be stuck in the past.
The rising death toll on our highways is a national tragedy that demands more than routine statistics and condolences. Every life lost represents a family shattered and a preventable failure of policy and enforcement.
The National Transport and Safety Authority cannot afford to remain a passive recorder of the carnage on our roads. Its mandate is to ensure safer roads, not merely to count bodies and publish periodic updates after every holiday or weekend.
Its power must be exercised decisively through strict enforcement of traffic laws, rigorous vehicle inspections and uncompromising clampdown against reckless drivers and non-compliant transport companies.
Technology offers powerful tools to stem the grim trend. Speed cameras, automated number plate recognition, digital driver records, real-time vehicle monitoring and data-driven enforcement have helped many countries reduce crashes and save lives. Kenya has access to these solutions and should deploy them with urgency and consistency.
Making our roads safe is not an impossible goal. What is required is political will, sustained enforcement and intelligent technology. Breathalyser tests seem to have been completely abandoned.
The NTSA must stamp its authority on our roads before another year is marked by avoidable deaths caused by reckless driving.
Quote of the day: “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” —US Founding Father Benjamin Franklin sailed back to Philadelphia on July 23, 1726
