NAIROBI, Kenya — Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has formally moved the Senate to investigate the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) over what he terms persistent failures in enforcing road safety laws amid rising fatalities.
In a statement request tabled on February 16, 2026, Omtatah asked the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation, and Housing to probe the authority’s implementation of statutory road safety obligations under the National Transport and Safety Authority Act, 2012.
The senator cited an alarming increase in road traffic deaths and serious injuries over the past three years, despite the existence of legal and policy frameworks designed to reduce accidents.
“Road deaths and serious injuries continue to rise. Thousands of lives are lost each year. This reflects weak enforcement, poor coordination, and failure to implement structured safety systems,” Omtatah said in a post on X dated February 23.
According to NTSA data, 4,458 fatalities were recorded as of December 2, 2025 — surpassing the 4,311 deaths reported in 2024. The Kenya Traffic Police further reported that 398 people died in road accidents in January 2026 alone.
At the centre of Omtatah’s motion is the alleged failure by NTSA to operationalise a comprehensive Road Traffic Safety Management System. He argues that the authority has not instituted structured accident investigations, robust journey and fatigue management mechanisms, or real-time monitoring of vehicles and drivers.
The senator also questioned whether NTSA has adopted internationally recognised standards such as ISO 39001:2021, a global framework for road traffic safety management systems.
“I have asked the relevant Committee to explain what NTSA has done to enforce mandatory road safety management systems and why fatalities keep increasing despite existing laws,” he said.
Omtatah further claimed that professional proposals aimed at strengthening enforcement and safety oversight have been ignored, weakening institutional response to a crisis that continues to claim lives.
Road safety in Kenya is anchored in statutory law and linked to constitutional guarantees on the right to life and security of the person. Article 26 of the Constitution protects the right to life, while Article 43 recognises the right to the highest attainable standard of health — provisions that governance experts argue extend to state obligations in preventing avoidable road carnage.
The motion also seeks clarity on ongoing or planned policy, administrative, and enforcement reforms to curb the trend. It calls for scrutiny of inter-agency coordination between NTSA, the National Police Service, and county governments, which are critical actors in road management and enforcement.
The Senate committee is expected to summon NTSA officials to provide a detailed account of compliance measures, enforcement strategies, and future reforms.
Omtatah has pledged to keep the public informed on the progress of the motion, framing road safety as “a statutory obligation and ultimately a matter of life and death.”
