State House, Nairobi — President William Ruto has warned of the escalating road safety crisis in Kenya, revealing that road accidents claimed 5,009 lives last year — an increase of 261 from 2024 — and cost the economy Sh450 billion annually, equivalent to 5pc of GDP.
Speaking during the presentation of the National Council on the Administration of Justice report on traffic accidents, the President noted that the festive season of 2025 alone saw 415 fatalities, up 23% from 2024.
He highlighted that while public service vehicle (PSV) fatalities declined by 10pc due to a coordinated inter-agency traffic enforcement pilot, private vehicles, night-time truck crashes, and boda boda incidents remain critical threats.
The pilot involved 36 prosecutors, 40 Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officers, and 121 National Transport and Safety Authority personnel, integrating enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication in a structured national model.
The initiative exposed systemic weaknesses, including corruption, weak enforcement, inadequate highway patrols, inconsistent fines, poor digital evidence management, and delays in court processing.
President William Ruto outlined urgent reforms recommended in the report:
- Legal and Policy Reforms: Amend the Traffic Act, introduce instant fines and demerit points, standardise driver training and licensing, and fast-track the National Council on the Administration of Justice Bill.
- Digital Transformation: Implement integrated e-transport and case management systems, expand CCTV and speed camera deployment, and establish secure digital evidence frameworks.
- Police and Integrity Reforms: Deploy body-worn cameras, enhance integrity testing, strengthen anti-bribery mechanisms, and improve welfare and supervision for enforcement officers.
- Infrastructure and Vehicle Safety: Address blackspots, adopt safety-by-design in new roads, expand pedestrian facilities, enforce vehicle inspections, monitor driver fatigue digitally, and formalise boda boda operations via SACCOs.
- Emergency Response: Expand trauma centres and ambulance points along highways, and reinforce the “Golden Hour” trauma response framework.
The President stressed that tackling road safety requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, including dedicated financing through the National Road Safety Fund. He pledged decisive action to implement the report’s recommendations nationwide.
“Rising fatalities, systemic corruption, infrastructure gaps, and weak digital integration make it clear that road safety reform must move from pilot phase to full national transformation,” President William Ruto said.
The government’s renewed commitment comes as Kenya grapples with one of the highest road mortality rates in the region, signalling a shift toward integrated enforcement, stricter regulation, and technology-driven monitoring.
