The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has called for stricter regulation of driving schools, citing a surge in road accidents across the country as the new year begins.
In a statement on Monday, January 5, the association said many driving schools fail to provide essential training, such as highway driving and night driving, yet report 100% pass rates.
MAK claims this creates drivers who are only partially competent, increasing the risk of accidents on Kenyan roads.
“NTSA must explain how untrained and untested drivers obtain licences. The authority cannot blame drivers while presiding over a licensing system riddled with corruption and incompetence,” the association stated.
It added, “Until institutions accept responsibility, Kenyans will continue to bury loved ones on highways that should unite the country, not kill its people.”
The association also criticized traffic police for focusing enforcement on safer road sections while ignoring accident-prone blackspots.
“Traffic enforcement has degenerated into rent-seeking roadblocks. Officers allow dangerous vehicles to proceed after bribes, then later blame ‘reckless drivers,’” MAK said.
MAK urged the government to provide service roads, truck lay-bys, pedestrian crossings, better lighting, and to fast-track the dualling of accident-prone corridors such as Nairobi-Nakuru and Nairobi-Mombasa highways.
Recent accidents highlight the urgency of these measures. In the past three days, more than 15 people have died in crashes along major highways, including a head-on collision between a Greenline bus and a Nanyuki Cabs shuttle in Naivasha on January 5.
Tags
News