Kimani Ichung’wah has called for the installation of speed cameras on every tarmacked road in Kenya, warning that the country is losing far too many lives to road accidents.
Speaking in the National Assembly of Kenya, the Majority Leader urged the government and road safety agencies to urgently act to curb the rising number of fatalities on Kenyan roads.
Ichung’wah said the scale of road carnage in recent months had reached alarming levels, noting that the country lost many lives in December and January alone.
“Every tarmacked road in Kenya needs to have speed cameras. Seventeen, fifteen…even two lives in a single carnage is far too many,” he said.
The legislator called on the relevant parliamentary committee to summon officials from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the Ministry of Transport to explain what measures they are taking to address the crisis.
He asked the chairperson of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee to ensure the Cabinet Secretary and NTSA Director-General appear before Parliament to present a clear plan on reducing road accidents.
According to Ichung’wah, the country cannot continue to witness fatal accidents while leaders only use parliamentary sessions to send condolences to affected families.
“We cannot continue using the floor of this House just to send condolences. There must be something the ministry and NTSA can do to stop this,” he added.
The Majority Leader also appealed to Kenyans to exercise caution while using roads, urging drivers, pedestrians and all road users to prioritise safety.
He warned that unless urgent action is taken, the country will continue to lose lives in tragic accidents that could otherwise be prevented through stricter enforcement and improved road safety measures.
This comes as National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has called for urgent measures to curb reckless driving after a tragic truck accident in Webuye Sub-County, Bungoma, claimed 15 lives and left dozens injured.
Wetangula condemned the actions of the truck driver responsible for the deadly crash and emphasised the need for the country to tackle road carnage urgently.