Road safety experts are urging the government to revoke all driving licenses issued in the past six years, warning that untrained drivers are a key factor behind the growing number of fatal accidents across the country.
The Road Safety Association of Kenya (RSAK) claims that a majority of these license holders never attended proper driving schools, contributing directly to the rising carnage on Kenyan roads.
“We want those licenses cancelled and the drivers taken back to school because 80 per cent of the licenses issued over the past six years are bogus. This is why the road carnage is increasing by the day and claiming innocent lives,” RSAK national chairman David Kiarie said on Tuesday.
The call comes in the wake of a weekend that saw at least 20 deaths in separate road crashes. Among the incidents, an ambulance collided with a trailer, killing six people, while a matatu carrying family members crashed into a truck near Kariandusi in Nakuru County, leaving 16 dead.
“Nationally, road fatalities rose from 4,324 in 2023 to 4,748 last year, representing a 10 per cent increase. Since January this year, the toll has exceeded 300 lives. This is a serious state of affairs,” Kiarie added.
Kiarie, joined by transport investors and boda boda operators, called on the government to respond decisively, accusing authorities of ignoring sector concerns.
He criticized the recent National Road Safety Conference in Mombasa, attended by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, for excluding key stakeholders such as speed limiter suppliers, public service vehicle bodybuilders, and driving schools.
“It is time the government stop paying lip service to matters of road safety and the alarming death toll and acts with the seriousness required. For how long shall we continue losing people on the roads?” Kiarie said.
He also raised concerns over the National Transport and Safety Authority’s (NTSA) plans to privatize certain core services, suggesting that such moves could undermine road safety. Kiarie questioned the extension of the NTSA Director General’s tenure, which is set to end next month after a second three-year term.
Kiarie accused the NTSA of selling driving licenses for Sh6,000, referencing the recent Nakuru crash involving a Subaru that collided with a matatu and a lorry.
“This tells you that the driver bought a license, and that is something that we have reported. Somebody who has gone to school knows to give way, and when such a scenario happens, you know that it is important to just give way,” he said.
He added that around 1,200 vehicles went uninspected but paid Sh6,000 each to remain operational, allegedly generating Sh7.2 million for officials.
The Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association (LoDDCA) backed RSAK’s position, accusing the NTSA of failing to enforce the law.
“The deaths of 20 Kenyans in just two days are not isolated tragedies; they are the inevitable result of NTSA’s failure. Every delay, every ignored reform, every leadership lapse translates directly into lost lives,” the association said.
LoDDCA also raised concerns about vehicle design, pointing out that both the 14-seater matatu and the ambulance involved in the crashes were meant for cargo, not passengers, highlighting ongoing safety standard gaps.