All school vehicles across the country must undergo inspection before the start of the second term, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has said.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the authority directed school transport operators to present their buses and vans for checks to confirm they are safe to carry learners.
NTSA indicated that the inspection exercise was one of the measures by the agency aimed at keeping children safe amid the ongoing Watoto Wafike Salama initiative.
“All vehicle operators must report to the nearest NTSA offices for a checkup to ensure that the vehicles are in good condition,” the statement by the body read.
In addition to the above exercise, NTSA also revealed that a multi-agency taskforce will be dispatched to patrol various roads around the country for compliance.
“We want all drivers to adhere strictly to the laid down regulations while driving on our roads following the reopening of institutions of learning,” NTSA stated.
The authority also encouraged schools and parents to take up the responsibility and ensure that children were picked and taken home safely during this critical time.
“NTSA is calling upon parents and school administrations to take up this responsibility of ensuring our children are transported safely,” the transport agency stated.
The move comes barely a day after a road accident took place along Narok-Mai Mahiu road leaving seven people dead.
The incident, which occurred between Ntulele and Duka Moja on Monday afternoon, resulted in the deaths of all seven passengers in the car.
NTSA further revealed that investigations are currently underway in collaboration with the National Police Service.
“We are working in collaboration with the National Police Service to investigate the circumstances that caused the loss of control by the driver,” NTSA added.
The latest move by NTSA comes as learners begin reporting back to school from Monday, with increased focus on road safety during the busy travel period.
