Road accidents are one of leading causes of death in Kenya – stakeholders
Barely two weeks after police report indicated that, in 2022, 60 people have lost their lives in Nairobi as a result of road accidents, stakeholders have come out to assert that indeed road accidents are one of the major causes of death in the country.
According to the 2021 National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) road safety status report, the number of road accidents in Kenya has risen at an alarming rate, from 3,707 in 2020 to 4,347 in mid-December 2021, the highest in five years, representing a 17.3 per cent increase.
Speaking to the press, Nairobi Regional Traffic Police boss Joshua Omukata linked the accidents to bodaboda riders saying the riders don’t follow traffic rules and are always the cause of the accidents.
“We might lose many city dwellers by the time 2022 ends if nothing is done about the bodaboda sector. Most of the riders are unruly and careless hence the many accidents that have been recorded this year,” Omukata said.
Due to this, Prudential Insurance, a stakeholder in road safety, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, launched a program dubbed Safe Steps Road Safety, a public service initiative that is aimed at raising awareness and providing clear and simple life-saving educational messages on road safety.
The program is created and developed by Prudence Foundation in partnership with the Didier Drogba Foundation to provide easy-to-understand information on the most common areas for road safety: Distracted Driving, Drink Driving, Motorcycles, Pedestrians, Seatbelts, and Speed Limits.
Speaking at the launch, Prudence Foundation Executive Director, Marc Fancy, said; “Road traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of death in Kenya. We aim to contribute towards making Kenya’s roads and people safer through reinforcing road safety awareness and education on a continual basis.”
On her part, Prudential CEO Gwen Kinisu asserted that road safety is a threat to the lives of individuals and their families.
“Road safety is still a threat to the lives of individuals and their families, not only in Nairobi but also all over Africa. Our purpose is to enable people to get the most out of life, and that safety on the roads for all users is key to ensuring that people live longer so that they can continue providing for their loved ones,” she said.
