The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued conditions to be met by school transport ahead of the April holidays.
NTSA listed the conditions while urging drivers to adhere to traffic rules which will ensure the safety of learners on the roads.
The authority through a statement on March 29,2024, listed four key conditions that school transport must meet before embarking on ferrying students back home.
This directive came as learners across the country have started travelling to their respective homes for the April holiday.
“As our children head home for the holidays, remember, school transport like all Public Service Vehicles, must be fitted with a functional speed limiter,” read part of the statement.
Additionally, NTSA noted that school transport must have their drivers holding the requisite Driving License class endorsement and a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badge.
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The Authority further listed school transport having valid Road Service as another condition.
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“We urge all schools to ensure compliance with traffic rules and regulations. Let us all ensure our children get home safely, “added NTSA.
The guidelines the Authority come in the backdrop of reported cases of road crashes involving school buses which have led to a number of fatalities.
On March 16, 2024, a student and a teacher from Kapsabet High School lost their lives after the school bus which they were travelling in rolled several times along the Marigat-Kabarnet Road in Baringo County.
In another tragic incident involving a school bus, 11 students from Kenyatta University (KU) were confirmed dead following a tragic accident along the Nairobi – Mombasa Highway.
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The students died on the spot at Taita village near Maungu in Taita Taveta County, on March 18, 2024, after the KU bus collided with a trailer, leaving 18 other students with injuries.
According to a report from the University, the students were on their way to Mombasa for an academic trip when the unfortunate incident happened.
In yet another separate incident, 12 students from Moi University sustained minor injuries after their bus was involved in an accident along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway at Kimende town, Lari subcounty.
The bus which was also heading to Mombasa for an academic trip was ferrying third year and fourth-year Kiswahili students.
A report by NTSA revealed that fatalities resulting from road accidents in the country have risen by 7 per cent.
According to the March 20, 2024, report, 1,026 people have been killed in road accidents across the country from January to March 20, 2024.
