Kibwana, NTSA Launch Road Safety Team
Makueni county government and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) have launched a partnership on road safety by unveiling a County Transport and Safety Committee.
The county is listed among the top ten in last year’s road accident report where it is ranked fifth after Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa and Machakos with 148 fatalities booked within its road networks last year.
The committee will be responsible for overseeing the management and regulation of the road transport system within the county and to run programs that will sensitize the public on road safety.
The committee will also be tasked to implement county specific road safety strategies in consultation with the county and the NTSA in order to check death causing and paralyzing road crashes.
The committee will in consultation with relevant departments within the county develop a framework for post-crash including pre-hospital care and para-medical services in accident prone areas and also recommend legislative and administrative improvements needed to improve road transport and safety in the county.
The committee was inaugurated by governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana and NTSA deputy director, safety strategies and county coordination Dr.Duncan Kibogog.
“This is an initiative we want to support as a county government since transport is a function shared with the national government,”Prof Kibwana stated.
Prof Kibwana said that his government has nominated representatives from various transport sectors including boda boda and matatu groups to the committee.
He regretted that his county is featured among the worst accident causers and said that a proper campaign to reduce deadly accidents in the area must now be initiated.
He however indicated that the county may have found itself in the accidents’ blacklist because about 150 kilometers of the northern corridor on Mombasa road notorious for some of the worst accidents in the country fall within the county.
Makueni county, the governor said is setting up a trauma center at Makindu which will be of help to accident victims.
Dr Kibogog said that county governments will play a crucial role in the campaign to reduce road carnage adding that new strategies are required to deal with the menace.
He said that the boda boda sector is a major contributor to the number fatal crashes recorded adding that training of cyclists is key to reducing the number of accidents the country.
“It astonishing that road accidents is the ninth leading cause of death globally and that is why we must all be concerned and do something about it,” said the NTSA official.
Dr Kibogog further noted that last year 2,919 fatalities were reported in Kenya.