A file photo of the National Transport and Safety
Authority arresting pedestrians for failing to use the designated footbridge/ FILEThe National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has arrested 23 pedestrians for allegedly failing to use the designated footbridge at Fig Tree along Thika Superhighway as the authority continues its crackdown on unsafe road crossings.
The pedestrians were arrested during a joint enforcement operation conducted on Tuesday and are expected to be charged in court.
NTSA said crossing roads at undesignated points puts pedestrians and other road users at risk while also disrupting the free flow of traffic.
“The Authority continues to urge all pedestrians to use designated footbridges and crossing points at all times,” NTSA said.
The latest arrests are part of an enforcement campaign that has been running in Nairobi, targeting pedestrians who cross busy roads despite the availability of designated footbridges and crossing points.
The campaign has already resulted in hundreds of arrests across the city.
On July 21, 22 pedestrians were arrested and arraigned after they were found crossing Thika Road instead of using the Allsops footbridge.
A further 45 were arrested at the Nyayo Stadium footbridge on July 23, while 35 were arrested at Buruburu Interchange on July 27.
By July 31, NTSA said at least 250 pedestrians had been arrested in Nairobi since the start of the intensified operation. The crackdown has continued into August, with further arrests reported at Pipeline and Allsops along Thika Road.
NTSA has linked the campaign to efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths, with pedestrians accounting for about 38 per cent of road traffic fatalities recorded by June 30, 2026.
The authority later reported that pedestrian deaths dropped by nearly 18 per cent in July, with 146 pedestrians killed in road crashes compared with 178 in July 2025. NTSA attributed the decline, among other interventions, to intensified enforcement encouraging pedestrians to use designated crossing points.
The enforcement has been conducted jointly with the National Police Service and Nairobi City County as part of wider efforts to improve road safety and change pedestrian behaviour.
However, the crackdown has also highlighted challenges surrounding the use of some footbridges, including concerns over security, accessibility, maintenance and the distance pedestrians sometimes have to cover to reach designated crossing points.
NTSA has nevertheless maintained that pedestrians must use available footbridges and designated crossings, particularly along busy highways where crossing at road level exposes them to fast-moving traffic.
