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Police to enforce instant fines to curb rising festive season accidents
01st December, 2025 06:52 PM
Instant fines will be imposed as part of wider measures to curb road accidents over the festive period.
Traffic Police Commandant Fredrick Ochieng on Monday, December 1, 2025 said arrangements have been made for enhanced reinforcement of traffic regulations on all highways and other major roads across the country.
These measures, he added, will involve teaming up with the courts to fine drivers on the spot once they break traffic rules. They will also include using speed guns and breathalyzers to nab drunk drivers.
Noting that most fatal accidents occur at night, the traffic commandant said police officers will be deployed on the roads around the clock to enforce the law.
“We have made all the necessary arrangements to ensure adherence to traffic rules and regulations from Nairobi to Kisumu and Malaba, from Nairobi to Mombasa and all the other highways, by ensuring physical presence of traffic police on a 24 hour basis,” stated Ochieng.
He spoke to journalists during a one day stakeholders consultative forum convened by the National Transport and Safety Authority at the Utalii Hotel in Nairobi on Monday, December 1, 2025.
The forum brought together road safety players, road safety lobby groups, police and public service vehicle operators, among others.
The commandant also divulged that boda boda riders, whom he said are to blame for a high number of fatal accidents due to recklessness, are set to undergo fresh registration to align them with the areas they operate from.
This, he said, will include introducing additional numbers indicating the places they operate from. The intention is to make it easy to trace them in the event of an accident or misconduct.
Responding to concerns raised by stakeholders regarding incidents of bribery of traffic police officers, particularly by matatu operators, Ochieng said disciplinary measures were being taken against the culprits.
“I would also like to appeal to the vehicle owners to discourage their drivers from the practice. Some of the operators have made it a habit to give bribes to the police even when their vehicles have no issues,” stated Ochieng.
NTSA Director for Safety Andrew Kiplagat noted that historically most fatal road crashes occur over the Christmas season.
He reassured the forum that the Authority will work with all stakeholders in the sector to ensure road safety is maintained during the period.
He pointed out that speeding and drunkenness are among the major causes of deadly accidents. He said all parties will work in partnership to ensure traffic rules are not violated.
“We want all the stakeholders to commit that the necessary measures are taken to minimise accidents and deaths on the roads.
“Those who operate PSVs as well as heavy commercial vehicles must ensure they do not allow them on the roads if they are unroadworthy,” said Kiplagat.
David Kiarie, the Road Safety Association of Kenya Chairman, said more than 5,000 lives have been lost on the roads since the beginning of the year.
He called on the relevant government agencies to take decisive action to reduce the deaths rather than pay lip service.
He observed that boda bodas and trucks account for many of the fatal crashes since the majority of them do not undergo inspection. He said the safety associations have been complaining about this for years.
“We have been having these meetings and accidents continue to increase. I would like this to be the last such meeting so that action is taken and next time we see the number of road fatalities going down,” quipped Kiarie.
He noted that from their records, about 70 percent of the heavy trucks do not have speed limiters, yet they are involved in 60 percent of the road accidents.
Speed Governors and Road Safety Association Chairman Edward Gitonga said his team will carry out an exercise to recheck the speed governors of an estimated 400,000 vehicles to confirm that they are compliant during the festivities.
The vehicle categories in the rechecking exercise, which is free of charge, include PSVs, school buses, lorries and tourist passenger vehicles.
