President William Ruto on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, launched the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028 at the Kenyatta International Convention Center.

In his address, the head of state put Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to task over the rising number of accidents in the country.

A report by the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) indicates that over 1,313 Kenyans have lost their lives to road accidents since the start of 2024.

"I look forward to one year from now we will have another meeting and Kipchumba Murkomen you better come with results that the numbers are coming down otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble," President Ruto stated.

"The numbers have not been coming down they have been going up every year. Waziri (CS) and your team the numbers have to come down," he directed.

The president assured members of the public of his administration's committment to ending road carnage in Kenya. He challenged CS Murkomen and other stakeholders in the transport sector to benchmark other jurisdictions and come up with an actionable model to curb road accidents.

Ruto further assured to improve local infrastructure, adopt zero-tolerance to negligence and aggressively enhance awareness to reduce road accidents.

"The Government will also employ modern traffic monitoring technology to ensure safety of road users across the country," he said.

National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028

The five-year action plan will primarily urban centres and high-risk accident locations - leveraging on strategic partnerships, funding, risk targeting, and infrastructure safety.

NTSA will adopt advanced measures in the campaign against road carnage, employing public awareness and advertising. Educating pedestrians and other road users on how to safely co-exist on local roads will take center stage in the plan.

Boda Boda riders will be restricted to two pillion passengers per trip and are required to provide quality, safe helmets for them as well.

"Improved compliance and enforcement, along with enhanced driver training and licensing, are pivotal aspects of our strategy," the report stipulates.

The action plan also proposes the formation of a Nationwide Emergency Response System to offer fast, quality post-accident services, trauma care, easy ferrying to medical facilities, and long term rehabilitation.

NTSA, however, highlights funding as a major stumbling block in realising the action plan. The agency notes that relevant state agencies, the National Police Service (NPS), County Governments, and medical institutions require funding to better deliver on their mandates on road safety.

"Insufficient funding poses a significant obstacle to our efforts to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.

"The annual socioeconomic losses in Kenya, as a result of road crashes, are estimated to be more than Ksh450 billion. There is a need to sustainably finance road safety programmes and cost-effective safety investments over the next decade," the action plan stipulates.