Across Kenya, far too many crash victims lose their lives not because help is unavailable, but because it doesn’t arrive in time.
In response to this growing crisis, the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) and St John’s Ambulance have unveiled plans to roll out 19 mobile first aid units and four trauma centres along major roads, especially in high-risk areas where accidents frequently occur.
This initiative is designed to reduce deaths and injuries by making emergency support more accessible immediately after a crash. It follows a meeting between KeNHA and St John’s Ambulance, where both teams agreed that fast medical help during the first hour, often called the “golden hour” can mean the difference between life and death.
To support this, KeNHA will allow the use of road reserves to place the medical units in areas identified as blackspots. The aim is to improve emergency response along busy routes by setting up stabilisation points where victims can receive care before being taken to hospitals.
At the centre of the plan is a focus on quick, hands-on help. The project will train traffic police and boda boda riders to offer basic first aid at crash scenes. These trained responders are expected to step in before ambulances or professional medics arrive, potentially saving lives through immediate action.
St John’s Ambulance noted that Nairobi already has 304 boda boda riders trained in first aid. These riders operate in areas such as Mukuru kwa Reuben, Pipeline Embakasi and Kibera, and are part of a growing model aimed at bringing lifesaving care to the streets.
To support the partnership long-term, the two institutions will prepare a memorandum of understanding to guide the implementation of the project. The move signals a broader shift toward long-term solutions in dealing with Kenya’s growing road safety challenge.
St John’s Ambulance believes the new rollout will dramatically improve how fast victims are attended to. “According to the World Health Organization, thousands of Kenyans die every year from road crashes, with many lives lost due to delayed emergency response. The new initiative seeks to turn the tide by ensuring victims are not left helpless on highways,” St. John’s posted on Friday.
“The move marks a significant step in addressing Kenya’s road safety crisis and offers renewed hope for survivors of highway crashes,” they added.
This action comes as the country faces rising road crash numbers. In the first nine months of 2025, 3,397 people have lost their lives in crashes, according to new figures released by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). That’s 28 more deaths compared to the same time period in 2024.
So far this year, a total of 17,270 people have been involved in crashes, an increase of 291 compared to the previous year. Pedestrians remain the most affected, with 1,285 recorded deaths, followed by 858 motorcyclists, 568 passengers and 309 drivers.
Data from the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028 shows that most deadly incidents happen during evening hours, especially between 7 pm and 10 pm. This period carries higher risk due to poor lighting, faster vehicle speeds, and drunk driving.
NTSA figures also show that 26 per cent of Nairobi’s crashes and 30 per cent nationally occur during this window. Further, 45.7 per cent of road deaths happen in just eight counties, which together make up only 32 per cent of Kenya’s population.
In Nairobi alone, five key roads—which represent just two per cent of the total road network—account for 36 per cent of fatal crashes.
The planned trauma centres and mobile aid stations, backed by trained police and boda boda responders, aim to directly tackle these high-risk trends. By offering help where it’s needed and speeding up response times, the new effort may provide victims with a better chance at survival—and families with hope instead of loss.