CS Murkomen halts retesting of drivers until September
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has suspended the retesting of all commercial and public service drivers.
In a statement, Murkomen said the suspension was aimed at allowing for the formation of a multi-agency team which will look into concerns raised by drivers.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had announced the retesting of all drivers upon the expiry of their licences. The retesting, which started in June 1, would also entail a mandatory medical fitness test by a qualified medical practitioner.
"Towards this end, the Ministry and the stakeholders have agreed on the formation of a multi-agency committee that will among others review the grievances raised by the drivers and conductors. We have agreed as well that they shall submit the names of the officials representing ALL the industry players by 1st August 2023,” Murkomen said.
“The exercise will take 14 days and the report with recommendations submitted for further decision-making. Taking note of the above, I hereby halt the retesting of drivers until 1st September 2023 to give the multi-agency committee time to address the rising concerns.”
Retesting results
Out of 1,847 drivers across the country who underwent a retest between June 9 and June 30, only 576 passed the test while 1,170 failed.
The exercise targeted drivers with class endorsements B3, D1, D2, D3, C, C1, CE and CD.
The retesting following increased accidents across the country, which have left hundreds dead.
However, drivers had declared a nationwide strike to oppose the exercise, which would have seen transport paralysed in the country on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
According to data from NTSA, at least 21,760 people were involved in road accidents in 2022, with 4,690 losing their lives.
At least 1,072 lives were lost to road accidents between January and March 2023.
