Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Musalia Mudavadi has ordered police officers to heighten traffic surveillance on all roads across the country during the festive season.
In a security briefing, Mudavadi, who is also the Prime CS, said the surveillance will ensure the safety of Kenyans.
He directed the security enforcement officers to increase police presence and patrols along major highways both day and night.
The police will monitor and enforce compliance with traffic rules
“The enhanced patrols will serve to discourage reckless driving and speed violations and to prevent unlicensed and overloaded PSVs from operating,” he said.
Mudavadi directed the officers to ensure strict enforcement of vehicle roadworthiness regulations.
This should include ensuring that all PSVs have a valid road service license either for long distance or commuter routes.
“This will help ensure that only safe vehicles are on the road,” he said.
Mudavadi on Unlicensed Vehicles
He also ordered for heightened action against illegal and unlicensed PSVs to prevent them from operating as passenger transport vehicles.
The PCS explained that such vehicles should not be allowed to carry passengers as they don’t meet the required standards for passenger safety as stipulated in the NTSA operations regulation of 2014.
“We need them to enforce speed limits across major highways and prevent road crashes relating to speeding,” he said.
All Officers Must be Involved
He stated that law enforcement officers, base commanders and officers serving within their stations should do their utmost to ensure no incident occurs within their jurisdiction.
Mudavadi emphasized that every officer must be actively engaged in monitoring, reporting and addressing any issues of non-compliance to road safety regulations.
He pointed that the move is critical to the national road safety goal of reducing road traffic fatalities by 50 percent before 2028.
Also Read: Ministry of Interior Warns of 8 Security Risks Ahead of Festive Season
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Festive Security Trends
Recently, the Ministry warned Kenyans against eight festive security trends.
The Ministry highlighted the trends which are as follows;
1.Petty offences including pickpocketing and muggings in crowded areas such as shopping malls, markets, and public transport terminuses.
2.Exploitation of vulnerable children and gender-based violence.
3.Traffic violations including drunk driving, overloading and speeding public transport vehicles escalate road fatalities.
4.Counterfeit goods and Cybercrime targeting unsuspecting buyers with fake promotions.
Also Read: Why You Should Prioritize Security This Festive Season – Expert
5.Drug distribution and illicit brew production.
6.Home Burglaries where unattended homes present opportunities for thieves. We have also witnessed a surge in car breaks in the villages when families travel upcountry.
7.Noise violations that tend to pose a public nuisance.
8.Border counties remain under close security surveillance, with terrorism posing an ongoing threat to the country.
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