Nairobi County is banking on a new plan that brings together route management, regulation of matatu operations by among others eliminating illegal bus stages to help tackle the increasing number of accidents that claim the lives of thousands of pedestrians every year.

This initiative will also see the county streamline pick-up and drop-off points for public service vehicles (PSVs), enforce speed limits, and end the practice of overnight parking at bus stages.

“We will soon meet with Public Service Vehicle (PSV) stakeholders to address issues such as route disorder, parking violations, uniform requirements, and speeding. Order in the sector is non-negotiable,” said Governor Johnson Sakaja on Friday.

The Governor was speaking when he met the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director-General George Njao in a bid to establish a joint effort that seeks to lower road fatalities in the city’s major transport routes.

"It is therefore imperative that all efforts are geared towards ensuring the safety of all road users. It is important that NTSA and Nairobi County deploy multi-pronged technology driven strategies in order to achieve a safe, reliable city transport system," explained Sakaja.

The two entities have established the Nairobi County Transport Safety Committee (CTSC), which is expected to operate in tandem with the NTSA Act of 2012, seeking to reduce the fatalities by 50 percent.

NTSA data shows that the city’s five major roads including Outering, Eastern Bypass, Thika Superhighway, Waiyaki Way, and the Northern Bypass account for most road accidents reported in the capital. 

"Statistics further reveal that [these] five roads are categorized as the riskiest and account for 39 per cent of the fatalities in Nairobi," Mr. Njao said, adding, "Analysis indicates that the most affected category of road users are pedestrians at 38 percent followed by motorcyclists at 25 percent."

Last year, a total of 4,748 people lost their lives on roads across Kenya, reflecting an increase from the 4,324 people who were reported in 2023. Notably, November had the highest increase of 27.74 percent to 373 compared to 292 reported during the same month in the previous year. In the same measure, December saw the number of fatalities from road accidents increase by 10 percent to 466, up from 423 during a similar month in 2023. 

The CTSC will also oversee the implementation of the National Road Safety Action Plan at the county level where a county specific road safety action plan has been developed.

The Governor also announced plans to establish a monitoring center, in partnership with NTSA, to oversee the behavior of registered PSVs while on duty. The center will use technology to track compliance with traffic laws, ensuring accountability and improving road safety.

“Through this center, we will ensure that PSVs adhere to regulations and that there is proper order on our roads,” Sakaja added.

Sakaja also addressed the need to organize Nairobi’s bodaboda sector, calling on NTSA to ensure all riders are registered and affiliated with SACCOs.

“We need a system that ensures accountability in the bodaboda sector. Riders must be registered, affiliated with SACCOs, and their operations well co-ordinated,” he said, adding, “We are committed to ensuring every PSV operates within its designated route to streamline traffic and enhance passenger safety.”

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