NTSA Intensifies Road Safety Checks as Schools Reopen for Second Term in Kenya
As classrooms finally open up again all over the country, the authorities are shifting their focus back to a pressing issue that’s just as important as getting kids an education – and that’s getting them safely to school.
After a three week break, the students headed back into class on Monday, April 27, kicking off a new 14 week term that’ll wrap up on July 31. And as usual, with the back to school rush comes the added stress of making sure the roads are safe, especially for the little ones.
Heightened Checks Under Operation Watoto Wafike Salama
The National Transport and Safety Authority is amping up their nationwide road safety campaign, Operation Watoto Wafike Salama, to try and make sure that kids get to and from school without putting themselves at risk.
NTSA’s Director General, Nashon Kondiwa, made it crystal clear that this is NOT a normal back to school situation
“We’ve got a multi-agency team gearing up to do some strict compliance checks all over the country – and we’re calling on every single motorist to exercise some serious responsibility on the roads,” he said.
You can expect to see more inspections, some tighter enforcement and of course, a lot more visibility of officers working together to keep an eye on traffic rules as you cruise along major highways and feeder roads.
School Vehicles Face Mandatory Inspection
One of the areas they’re really cracking down on is school transport.
NTSA has ordered up all operators to get their vehicles in for inspection before ferrying any students around. The goal is simple: make sure that every vehicle on the road is good to go for carrying kids.
“Every single school transport operator has to get their fleet in for an inspection to check that the vehicles are roadworthy and safe to use for transporting kids,” Kondiwa said.
This is no small ask considering the start of the term has already got families on their toes with all the usual back to school juggling act. But the authority is insistent on one thing: safety can’t be compromised.
“We are calling on parents, schools and transport operators to put the safety of our kids first during this time.”
A Term Packed With Activity
The second term is always one of the busiest of the year – and this one is no exception. Learners will get a quick break for mid-term between June 24th and 28th before ploughing on until the end of July. And when the dust settles, there’s a pretty long holiday on the cards for early August.
Given all the extra travel at the start and the mid-point of the term, officials are saying that being vigilant on the roads will be a top priority.
Fatal Crash Underscores Road Safety Concerns
Even as new road safety measures finally get underway, a heart shattering accident at the weekend has put a serious damper on things.
eight people lost their lives when a car , going from Nairobi to Narok, crashed head on with a trailer in Nairegia along the Mai Mahiu–Narok Road on Saturday night. The vehicle involved – a Toyota Voxy – collided with the trailer which had veered across into the path of the oncoming minivan for no reason.
The impact was just brutal.
Driver and seven passengers of the Voxy were killed outright, while the trailer driver somehow managed to walk away with some nasty injuries and got rushed to Narok County Referral Hospital.
After that disaster the trailer bounced off the road and uprooted a couple of trees and ended up in a ditch, it got its cabin torn to pieces in the process.
NTSA Promises Thorough Investigation
Now that the crash has happened , NTSA have said they are going to do everything in their power to find out what went wrong.
NTSA took the chance to send their condolences to the families and friends of the people who lost their loved ones in the horrible car crash that happened at the weekend. “You can be sure we’re working with National Police Service to do a thorough investigation into the circumstances that made the driver lose control and crash into the other vehicle” , said Kondiwa.
The outcome of that report will be used to help decide what new safety measures should go into the National Road Safety Action Plan (2024–2028).
A Timely Reminder for Road Users
At the same time that thousands of students are getting back into gear with their school routines , the message from the people in charge is pretty clear: Road safety is a collective job.
Now that they have increased enforcement underway the road users are being told to stay on their toes, stick to the traffic rules and remember that every thing you do on the road could mean the difference between life and disaster.
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NTSA Intensifies Road Safety Checks as Schools Reopen for Second Term in Kenya
