Internal feud, bribery claims rock NTSA

Road safety lobby groups have raised concerns over infighting at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), calling for a probe into the organization’s operations.

This comes as it emerged that three employees of the Authority are being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over claims of implicating a senior official in a bribery scandal.

However, road safety players point at a possible fallout over corrupt deals involving collection of money at driving test units (DTUs) as the main cause of the infighting and are calling for suspension of all the senior officers pending a thorough probe.

“What we are seeing is a case of a deal gone sour after a Deputy Director raised a complaint with the DCI against his juniors. These people should not fool the public by sacrificing small fish while those responsible remain untouched,” said David Kiarie, the Road Safety Association of Kenya National Chairman.

The three junior officers are accused of writing anonymous emails to NTSA in April and July this year, linking a Deputy Director to a bribery racket involving millions allegedly collected as bribes from driving school learners.

When contacted for comment, NTSA Director General George Njao was not available by the time of going to press.

However, the three who include a manager at the Driver Training and Testing Unit and two examiners were arrested and later released on police bond but are are yet to be arraigned in court.

But while dismissing the arrest of the three junior officers as a mere circus meant to mislead the public, road safety officials say there’s an underlying rot at the organization that needs to be brought to an end.

“No one should be spared and we want all the big fish including top officials in the Authority and even the Ministry of Roads and Transport investigated over their roles in corrupt deals. As road safety players, we have raised the issue of corruption and mismanagement for years and now we are being vindicated,” said Kiarie.

He termed the latest reports of bribery as “just a tip of the iceberg”, maintaining that billions of shillings have been lost through vehicle inspection units as most truck owners part with Sh6,000 for each vehicle so that they skip the process.

Besides, the official repeated concerns by safety groups over plans to privatize vehicle inspection and driver testing units saying the move would seriously compromise road safety.

“This is an organization entrusted with the safety of Kenyans on our roads. Removing these critical services from the government and placing them in the hands of private individuals is not only illegal but immoral,” maintained Kiarie.

He charged that over the last six years, NTSA has been mismanaged and as a result leading to an alarming rise in road accident deaths and injuries to road users.

In April this year the NTSA Director in charge of Road Safety Andrew Kiplagat wrote a letter to all driving schools referring to a bribery racket which seemed to lend credence to the existence of corrupt practices.

In the letter Kiplagat outlined how the racket operates with bribes given to examiners as an “appreciation” from each student tested, according to information received by the Authority.

The money, the official indicated, is chaneled through driving school operators in a bid to ensure the students pass the tests.

Kiarie said that according to information available to road safety officials, each student taken through driving tests parts with Sh6,000 which is divided among various government officials.