A report by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) states that 1,968 Kenyans lost their lives in road accidents this year.
The latest data by NTSA places the lives of Kenyans lost through road accidents at an increased rate of 9.3 per cent compared to the 1,800 lives lost last year at the same period.
Pedestrians made up the bulk of the fatalities with 622 deaths recorded, up from 586 in 2021.
At least 545 motorcyclists also lost their lives in the period under review, which was a 6 per cent surge from the 514 motorcycle-related deaths documented last year.
Pillion passenger deaths likewise jumped to 192 in the period. According to NTSA, 322 passengers were killed in the said accidents up from 295 in 2021.
Driver and pedal cyclist deaths however reduced in the period as per the roads safety authority. Driver deaths stood at 181 in 2022 down from 197 in last year while 29 pedal cyclist fatalities were documented in the period down from 44 last year.
Speaking during a conference in Mombasa on Tuesday, NTSA’s Deputy Director for Road Safety Duncan Kibogong highlighted that Nairobi and Kiambu counties accounted for the majority of the fatalities.
“Last year, Nairobi and Kiambu recorded 521 and 460 cases respectively, with the same trend being reported this year. We have also noted that most cases, accounting for 66 per cent, are happening between 4 pm and 10 pm and on weekends,” Kibogong said
NTSA further stated that 84 per cent of the fatalities are men aged between 24 and 34 years.
Motorcyclists, the NTSA says, are to blame for most of the accidents recorded in the period under review with such cases increasing almost tenfold from 200 in 2000 to 1,576 in 2021.
NTSA Director General George Njau also revealed that the transport authority will this month unveil an Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS) to curb road accidents.
“At the end of June, we shall roll it out countrywide where police will be equipped with smart applications to help them automatically collect key road data for easy action,” Njau said.