President William Ruto has issued a stern warning, calling for tough action to address the escalating crisis of road accidents in Kenya.
During the launch of the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Ruto emphasized the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures to curb the rising cases of deaths and injuries caused by road negligence.
In his address, Ruto highlighted the imperative of adopting modern technologies to improve the monitoring of traffic violations and the introduction of instant fines as deterrents.
He stressed that no one would be exempt from road safety compliance, underlining the government's commitment to tackling corruption among traffic police officers, which often leads to overlooking speeding and reckless driving.
The President emphasized the importance of robust law enforcement by justice, law, and order agencies, ensuring swift and transparent detection, apprehension, prosecution, and punishment of offenders.
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“Our justice, law and order agencies must coordinate and sustain robust law enforcement by ensuring that offenders are detected, apprehended, prosecuted and punished swiftly and transparently,” Ruto said.
He urged for stronger collaboration between the National Transport and Safety Authority and the Traffic Department of the police in implementing the safety action plan.
President Ruto set ambitious targets, aiming for a 50 per cent reduction in accidents, deaths, and related injuries within the next year.
“The number of road accidents must come down. It is my expectation that we will be the administration that will deal with this challenge,” the president said.
He acknowledged the strain on healthcare facilities due to high numbers of critical injuries from road accidents, pledging government support to improve road infrastructure and revamp road safety measures.
Furthermore, Ruto pledged to enhance safety awareness campaigns to nurture a national culture of safety and responsible road usage.
He called upon the public to contribute to ensuring road safety by avoiding evasion of inspection, neglecting vehicle maintenance, reckless behaviour, and bribery.
The launch event was attended by Cabinet Secretaries, government officials, and international partners, highlighting the collaborative effort towards addressing the road safety challenge.
Ruto's stance underscores the gravity of the situation and the government's commitment to safeguarding the lives of citizens on the roads.
As the nation braces for tougher enforcement and heightened awareness campaigns, the hope is to usher in a new era of safer roads for all.
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