The alarming surge in road accidents across the country has reached a breaking point, prompting the National Assembly’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee to call for an immediate overhaul of traffic enforcement and the adoption of a digital fining system.
This comes as the committee’s chairman, George Kariuki Macharia, issued a stern warning that road deaths have transitioned from “unfortunate accidents” to “costly choices” made by irresponsible road users.
Speaking at Outspan Hospital in Nyeri, Macharia, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ndia, expressed his deepest sympathies while visiting renowned agribusiness entrepreneur Catherine Wambugu. Ms. Wambugu, the founder of Wambugu Apples and a pioneer of commercial apple farming in Kenya, survived a horrific head-on collision on the Nyeri–Nyahururu Highway on Monday night.
While Ms. Wambugu is currently in stable condition, the accident claimed the lives of two of her dedicated employees, Teresia Mumbi Mwaniki and Dommie. The wreckage of her Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and the colliding Mitsubishi Canter served as a grim reminder of the violence seen daily on Kenyan highways.
“We thank God that she survived, but unfortunately, we lost two lives. On behalf of the committee, I send my condolences to those families,” Macharia stated. “But we must be honest: these are not just statistics. These are breadwinners, mothers, and fathers. Every year we are losing about 5,000 lives. This is a worrying trend that needs to be addressed.”
The Chairman did not mince words regarding the cause of the carnage. He attributed the majority of incidents to a “high degree of irresponsibility,” citing drink-driving, mechanical neglect, and blatant disregard for traffic laws.
“The hard and uncomfortable truth is that these accidents are choices. It is a choice to drive a car you know has mechanical issues. It is a choice to drive under the influence. These choices are costing us lives, crippling our youth, and destroying families,” Macharia emphasized.
To combat the crisis, the National Assembly committee is proposing a shift away from traditional policing toward a technology-driven enforcement model. Recognizing that it is “humanly impossible” to have a police officer every kilometer, Macharia announced that the committee is working with the Ministry of Transport and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to digitize traffic fines.
Key interventions discussed include:
- Automated Fining: Utilizing ICT and private sector partnerships to track and fine law offenders digitally.
- Stricter Interior Ministry Oversight: Calling on the Ministry of Interior to eliminate “laxity” in enforcement, particularly regarding Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) that pick and drop passengers at non-designated points.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Prioritizing well-lit roads, pothole repairs, and better paving to reduce environmental risks.
The latest NTSA data underscores the urgency of these interventions. In 2025, road fatalities rose by 3.4%, totaling 4,458 deaths. Pedestrians remain the most vulnerable group, accounting for over 1,600 of those lives lost.
Macharia concluded by urging Kenyans to change their attitude toward road usage, promising that the committee will soon meet with all sector stakeholders to push for immediate accountability.
