Kenya to boost road safety with tough traffic enforcement

Road safety in Kenya looks set to improve following the introduction of tough new traffic laws. The much tougher penalties now in effect include the maximum sentence of a life term for causing death instead of the previous 10 years. Meanwhile driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will result in fines of up to US$5,750 or a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. The fine for driving under the influence was previously just $172. The fines for speeding or driving on the pavement have been incr
December 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Road safety in Kenya looks set to improve following the introduction of tough new traffic laws. The much tougher penalties now in effect include the maximum sentence of a life term for causing death instead of the previous 10 years. Meanwhile driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will result in fines of up to US$5,750 or a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. The fine for driving under the influence was previously just $172. The fines for speeding or driving on the pavement have been increased to $350 from the previous $35.

However Kenya’s public transport drivers were less than impressed and responded with a 48 hour strike. Public opinion is also said to be divided over whether these tough laws will be beneficial. There is some concern that the much higher fines and sentences will lead to greater bribery of police officers as offending drivers attempt to avoid charges. The new laws will likely result in more people being jailed as the fines are high compared with local salaries for most people. But there is also hope that the new laws will reduce the country’s fatal accident rate, which currently sees at least 3,000 reported fatal accidents/year and with around 50% of those being pedestrians.

Related Content

  • Public-private participation for highway law enforcement
    April 18, 2017
    In some countries, public-private partnerships for road traffic law enforcement are helping to greatly reduce traffic fatalities. But careful implementation is essential, according to a new white paper. Big brother is watching you. Speed cameras are just a cash cow for local authorities. Police use them to keep their speeding ticket statistics high. The list of suspicions goes on. But there is nothing suspicious about road deaths, says Philip Wijers, chairman of the sub-committee on enforcement at the US-ba
    Read More
  • Regulating Kenya’s boda boda business
    July 28, 2015
    Kenya’s many motorcycle taxis have an unenviably poor record for road safety - Shem Oirere writes. A state-owned road safety agency in Kenya is grappling with enforcement of new traffic regulations aimed at reducing the number of road accidents involving two-wheeled motorcycle taxis, popularly known as boda boda. The latest statistics indicate that fatalities relating to these vehicles shot up by 58% during the first four months of 2015. Experts have concurred with a previous study by the World Health Or
    Read More
  • Kenya taxi safety campaign
    August 18, 2015
    A new campaign is getting underway in Kenya that aims to boost road safety and cut crashes. This simple campaign employs a straightforward approach, using stickers to encourage passengers to speak up and tell taxi drivers to slow down. Called Zusha!, the Swahili word for protest, the campaign uses stickers placed on vehicles, encouraging taxi passengers to tell drivers to drive more carefully. Kenya’s 14 seat passenger vehicles are known as matutus and the drivers are notorious for speeding and reckless dri
    Read More
  • Kenya taxi safety campaign
    August 18, 2015
    A new campaign is getting underway in Kenya that aims to boost road safety and cut crashes. This simple campaign employs a straightforward approach, using stickers to encourage passengers to speak up and tell taxi drivers to slow down. Called Zusha!, the Swahili word for protest, the campaign uses stickers placed on vehicles, encouraging taxi passengers to tell drivers to drive more carefully. Kenya’s 14 seat passenger vehicles are known as matutus and the drivers are notorious for speeding and reckless dri
    Read More

Highlighted Content