KeNHA warns against road encroachment as accident deaths hit 3K mark
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has warned members of the public against encroaching on the roads for setting up businesses, noting that it endangers their lives in cases when vehicles lose control.
In a sensitisation exercise along the Kenol-Sagana Road on Friday, May 16, 2025, the highway authority urged the public to help reduce the fatalities recorded on the roads.
“The Kenya National Highways Authority, led by the Corridor C Maintenance team, conducted a sensitisation on road safety along the Kenol-Sagana Road. The team emphasised the dangers of encroachment along the highways,” KeNHA noted in a statement.
Shared responsibility
During the exercise, the authority emphasised that safety is a shared responsibility between motorists, other road users and pedestrians.
“This road safety awareness initiative was aligned with the UN Global Road Safety Week, which was marked in collaboration with NTSA, represented by the Director of Transport, Kiambu County, NACADA, KPLC, Kenya Red Cross and NPS. It aimed to educate the public on the significance of safety, highlighting that road safety is a shared responsibility,” KeNHA observed.
“The team expressed concern emanating from the fact that the NTSA report indicates that over 3,000 lives have already been lost this year due to road accidents.”
The exercise, which also brought together several stakeholders involved in the transport and safety sectors, lit candles in honour of the thousands of Kenyans who have lost their lives on the roads this year.
Deaths
In April 2025, the NTSA accident report revealed that 1,139 people had died in the first quarter of the year, with pedestrians and motorcycles accounting for the majority of the fatalities.
NTSA indicated that pedestrians are more at risk of death during accidents, followed by motorcyclists and their pillion passengers.
During the period under review, the transport regulator equally observed that a total of 5,856 people were involved in accidents, with 3,316 sustaining serious body injuries, while 2,693 survived with minor injuries.
Despite sustained enforcement of rules by traffic police and officers from the NTSA, the deaths have persisted, forcing the regulators to introduce alco-blow breathalyzers back on the roads to contain drink-driving.
In a meeting with stakeholders in the transport sector on Friday, May 16, 2025, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja stated that he was introducing a raft of measures aimed at lowering the death toll on the roads.
“IG Kanja welcomed the opportunity to partner in fostering a more efficient operating environment for all stakeholders. He highlighted the ongoing automation of NPS systems and operations, particularly the introduction of instant fines and the Occurrence Book (OB), which will save time and resources while sealing loopholes that disrupt public transport operations and enable corrupt practices. This initiative aims to promote a transparent and accountable system,” a statement from Kanja reads in part.
