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More cops deployed to secure Kenyans during the festive season

Friday, December 20th, 2019 00:00 | By
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai with National Transport and Safety Authority director general George Njao addresses the media at Jogoo House, Nairobi, yesterday. Photo/PD/GERALD ITHANA

Police and the National Transport and Safety Authority will act tough on the roads during the festive season.

Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and NTSA director-general George Njao yesterday promised to work together and help curb cases of road accidents as Kenyans travel to various destinations for Christmas and New Year holidays.

In a joint media briefing at Jogoo House,  they cautioned that with increased travel for festivities and the fact that most parts of the country are experiencing heavy rainfall, accidents were likely to increase especially at the hazardous zones and black spots.

“Several incidences where motorists drive through flooded roads have been reported. Underestimating the speed and depth of water can easily lead to a fatal crash,” said Njao.

Enough police officers

Mutyambai said adequate police officers had been deployed to ensure order on the roads as well as man the roads.

“Random stops along major highways shall be conducted during the day and night to verify the validity of driving licenses, speed checks, use of seat belts, overloading among others,” he said, adding that any driver found flouting traffic rules will have their license suspended and be required to undergo a mandatory driver retest.

 Mutyambai asked motorists to plan ahead to avoid the last-minute rush and check the mechanical soundness of the vehicles in good time. The police boss also warned that action would be taken against excess passengers. 

“Excess passengers will be held liable, and not the crew. We will arrest you and allow the matatu to continue with the journey,” he said.

The police boss also warned that cases of housebreaking and burglary were likely to increase and advised Kenyans travelling to the rural areas to take proper measures to ensure their residences are secure.

Meanwhile, NTSA said motorcyclists their passengers, as well as pedestrians, were the main victims of road accidents this year compared to last year. 

Some 3,396 people have lost their lives on the roads between January 1 and December 17, this year. 

This is an increase by 13.4 per cent compared to last year. Most of those killed include motorcyclists, pillion passengers and pedestrians. These vulnerable road users have contributed to 73.4 per cent of reported fatalities.

 Human behaviour contributed to 93 per cent of the crashes and this was attributed to issues such as speeding, lane indiscipline, overloading, and dangerous overtaking.

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