Wahome Thuku warns reckless young drivers who think Kenya is Singapore
By David Nthua, January 11, 2026To those who have already arrived in Singapore and think that Kenyan laws no longer apply, be warned.
That was the sharp message from city lawyer Wahome Thuku, who raised the alarm over what he described as a dangerous sense of entitlement among young motorists on Kenyan roads.
Taking to his Facebook account on Sunday, January 11, 2026, Wahome said reckless driving, fuelled by misplaced confidence and ignorance of reality, is setting many young people up for tragedy.
He warned that more lives would be lost if drivers continued to behave as though Kenya’s roads operated like those in developed countries.
According to Wahome, entitlement is the silent killer on the highways.
“There is something that is going to finish many young people on our roads. The sense of entitlement,” he wrote.
Also, Wahome noted that some young drivers think the few lessons they took at driving school are enough to guarantee their safety in real traffic.
This is not Singapore
Wahome argued that many young motorists confuse Kenya’s democratic space with road use, wrongly believing that every driver has an unchallenged right of way.
“They think and believe that the democratic space in the country also extends to the roads, where you have unchallenged right of way,” he said.
Drawing from more than 25 years of driving experience, the lawyer explained that survival on Kenyan highways often requires humility rather than legal correctness.
He gave an example of trailer drivers joining highways carelessly or arrogantly.
“If you are on a highway and a trailer driver decides to join, even carelessly or arrogantly, you’d better suspend your claim of right of way and allow him,” Wahome advised.
He also cautioned drivers of smaller vehicles against confronting larger ones. “If a bus is overtaking and comes to your side and you are in a Subaru or even a Honda Vezel, just get off the road for that one second. Don’t try chest thumping and show off,” he said.
Wahome acknowledged that many young drivers insist on being technically right.
“Many young drivers insist on being on the right. Ooh, I have the right of way. No problem. In fact, no one is denying it,” he wrote.
However, he issued a chilling warning about what happens when pride meets reality on Kenyan roads.
“But this is not Singapore. It’s Kenya. You insist on your right of way, and we will be invited to a WhatsApp group for your burial,” he said,
The use of Singapore as an example, interestingly, comes at a time when President William Ruto is selling the idea of Kenya being the Singapore of Africa in the next 30 years.