Police launch PSV crackdown as accident fatalities exceed 100
Nyaga noted that the majority of road accidents are preventable if road users change their behavior and adhere to traffic rules
Traffic officers have launched a crackdown following a surge in road accidents in recent days.
Police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said the officers will be monitoring speed, verifying NTSA-issued licenses, conducting anti-drunk-driving operations, and removing unauthorised lights from vehicles.
Nyaga said the officers will also be assessing the compliance by PSV Saccos and removing the unroadworthy vehicles, and checking for overloading of goods and excess passengers.
“The National Police Service, alongside other stakeholders, continues to step up efforts through multi-pronged strategies, including speed monitoring of PSVs and commercial vehicles, enforcement against overloading of goods and excess passengers, cracking down on PSVs contravening licensed routes, conducting anti-drink-driving operations, removing unlawful lights on motor vehicles, verifying NTSA-issued licences, taking unroadworthy vehicles off the road, and assessing PSV Sacco compliance,” Nyaga stated.
He noted that the majority of road accidents are preventable if road users change their behavior and adhere to traffic rules.
“The vast majority of these accidents are preventable if road users change their behavior by avoiding speeding, dangerous overtaking, drink-driving, overloading, driver fatigue, and careless road crossing,” Nyaga said.
Further, he said NPS, in collaboration with other state agencies, would conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation to determine the cause of the accidents.
Almost 50 people died last weekend from various accidents reported across the country with over 100 fatalities recorded in a month with August having the highest number of accident fatalities even before the mid-month point.
Last Friday, 25 people died when the school bus they were travelling in overturned in Kisumu’s Mamboleo area. The bus rolled after the driver failed to negotiate the vast Coptic roundabout, which is notorious for being a black spot.
Nineteen people died on the spot, while six others succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
On Saturday, nine people were killed after a public service vehicle collided with a lorry at Korompoi Global Estate near Kitengela on the Namanga-Isinya Highway.
On Sunday, two people died and several others were left injured along the Mai Mahiu-Narok Road after a lorry lot control and hit an Ena Coach bus, which veered off the road and overturned hitting two other vehicles.
