Craziness in our roads

Hundreds of families loss their loved ones daily through road accidents, a cause that is attributed to a number of factors that can be dealt with appropriately to avoid such cases, as a nation we loss on social- economic development annually thus posing a challenge in attaining Kenya vision 2030 as a result. The adoption of an Integrated National Transport Policy ( Sessional Paper No.2 of 2012) by the 10thParliament was a big achievement but one that posed a big challenge to the government to create relevant institutions, develop a comprehensive transport strategy, human capacity and adopt Intelligent Transport system. In order to avoid un necessary road carnage caused by poor road transport regulatory and past management regime. The result has been the entrenchment of bad motoring attitude and rise of Matatu culture fueled by a corrupt regulatory and enforcement regiment. It's a shame the way we have to loss innocent lives daily on our roads even when we can avoid them through observing the set regulation to maintain diligence on our roads,

According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and the traffic department, the number of accidents resulting to fatalities stands at 3000 people and  Its surprising that Transport And Licensing Board(T.l.B) do exist when in the actual sense matatu float traffic rule and contravene T.l.B rule, Whereas government appears to regulate the  same industry, in the past several successful regulatory regimes have been weakened due to lack of adequate personnel in the Ministry and a corrupt enforcement regime. The 10thParliament however had passed an Integrated National Transport Policy as stipulated in the Sessional Paper Number 2 of 2012. In this Paper, written under the watch of Hon john Michuki in 2004 with a view of transforming transport sector,

It's only in Kenya that Matatu culture cultivated by a corrupt regulatory and enforcement regiment that have natured rog drivers who stop to pick and drop on highways, driving under the influence of alcohol..etc whereas there are a number of Measures that have put in place by various bodies of the government such as: Road Expansions throughout the country an example is expansion of  Thika highway into a super-highway. Laws: that gave birth to 14-seater matatus being outlawed. Introduction of Safety belts,Traffic lights system being redone within the city and its environs,The re introduction of alcohol blow is a blow to many drivers, evnthou it may not be effective in the longrun than changing our morals.

Despite of  all this, some commuter Sacco buses find there way in other region during festive season, a clear indication of the level of greediness and corruption that exist yet there is a national authorities in place to ensure safety and sanity is maintained throughout the country. It's Only in Kenya do traffic Officers often pick bribes in broad day light.

Am a supporter of night travel ban as it will aid in bringing sanity in our roads and help reduce the number of road accidents that has been on the rise, some companies even came out to protest on the burn eventho it may not have come at the right time but it will go a long way in saving millions of lives, the condition of some of bus are even worse as overworking of its staff, poor maintainers of vehicles making some company to only travel at night thus raising an eye brow on the nature and kind of Customer care that they have/exist which tends to portray how customer safety is never a priority to most of them.

All this might be appropriate mitigation measures but faces numerous challenges in its implementation strategy and its subject to wait and see if there is the will to drive the change in the transport sector so us to save thousands of lives across the nation.we all miss the old times of Hon. J. Michuki as C.S Transport,a passionate citizen.