Road safety lobby groups have raised alarms over infighting at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), urging a probe into its operations. This follows reports that three employees are under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for allegedly implicating a senior official in a bribery scandal. The conflict is believed to stem from corrupt deals involving money collected at driving test units (DTUs).
Road safety advocates suspect the infighting at NTSA is due to a fallout over corrupt practices at driving test units. They are calling for the suspension of all senior officers pending a thorough investigation. David Kiarie, National Chairman of the Road Safety Association of Kenya, criticized the situation as a “deal gone sour,” accusing the Authority of protecting senior officials while targeting junior staff to mislead the public.
Three junior NTSA officers, including a manager at the Driver Training and Testing Unit and two examiners, are accused of sending anonymous emails in April and July, linking a Deputy Director to a bribery racket. Allegedly, millions were collected from driving school learners. The officers were arrested, released on bond, but have not yet been arraigned in court, raising doubts about the investigation’s seriousness.
Dismissing the arrests as a “circus” to deceive the public, road safety officials demand an end to NTSA’s underlying corruption. Kiarie insists that top officials in the Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Transport be investigated for their roles in corrupt deals. He claims road safety groups have long highlighted mismanagement and corruption, and recent events validate their concerns.
Kiarie described the bribery reports as “just a tip of the iceberg,” alleging billions of shillings are lost through vehicle inspection units. He noted that truck owners often pay Sh 6,000 per vehicle to bypass inspections. Safety groups also oppose plans to privatize vehicle inspection and driver testing units, arguing that such a move would compromise road safety and is both illegal and immoral.
NTSA’s mismanagement over the past six years has led to a rise in road accident deaths and injuries, according to Kiarie. He argues that privatizing critical services like vehicle inspections and driver testing endangers Kenyans’ safety. The Road Safety Association maintains that NTSA, entrusted with ensuring road safety, must remain under government control to uphold its mandate and protect the public.
In April, NTSA’s Road Safety Director, Andrew Kiplagat, wrote to driving schools about a bribery racket, lending credence to corruption claims. His letter detailed how bribes, disguised as “appreciation” from students, are channeled through driving school operators to examiners to ensure test passes. This practice, Kiplagat noted, undermines road safety by allowing unqualified drivers to obtain licenses.
Kiplagat’s letter highlighted that driving instructors collect money from learner drivers for NTSA examiners, allegedly to secure passing results. He warned that such corruption in driver training and testing poses a significant threat to road safety, as drivers bear primary responsibility for safe roads. Kiarie added that each student reportedly pays Sh 6,000, which is shared among various government officials involved in the process.
