Seventeen pilgrims are dead, their trip to Subukia cut short in a horrific tragedy that should never have happened. Their families left with unbearable grief, while the country once again counts the dead on its roads.
We have said it repeatedly. Roads do not kill. Thoughtless and hair-brained drivers do. Unroadworthy vehicles turn recklessness into carnage. And yet, year after year, the relentless deaths roll on with shocking frequency.
The 2026 road death toll has crossed the 2,000 mark and counting. How many more funerals must Kenyans attend before the National Transport and Safety Authority takes its mandate seriously?
There is no shortage of technology, data or knowledge about what works. Speed governors, intelligent cameras, vehicle inspection systems, driver monitoring and real-time enforcement can help prevent dangerous driving before it becomes a lifelong injury or even death. The authority must show a sense of urgency.
Salama is a known black spot. NTSA knows there are many more. What happens after every crash? Hollow statements and predictable condolences while bodies pile up in morgues?
That is not road safety. That's burying our heads in the sand and hoping reckless driving will miraculously sort itself out.
Families should not have to surrender loved ones to drivers who have no business on our roads. NTSA must stop counting corpses and start making our roads safe. Enough excuses. Enough funerals. There is no time to wait.
Quote of the day: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” —33rd US President Harry Truman delivered the first presidential address televised from the White House on October 5, 1947
