Parents and guardians whose children will be using Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) to travel back to school for the first term of the 2025 academic year are urged to ensure their children board roadworthy vehicles.
Speaking to KNA after conducting a compliance inspection on the Nyeri-Karatina road on Wednesday, Bora Guyo, the Central Region manager of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), cautioned parents and students against using private vehicles.
He advised passengers to ensure they board registered PSVs, as this helps traffic police maintain accountability in the event of an incident during the journey.
“We need to ensure that as our children return to school, they do so safely. We are appealing to parents and guardians of school-going children to ensure that their children board compliant vehicles. They should also avoid privately managed vehicles, as most have not adhered to the PSV regulations we have put in place,” said Guyo.
During the early morning inspection, 15 vehicles and motorbikes were impounded for violating various traffic rules. Guyo noted that the Authority has partnered with Nyeri traffic police to intensify inspections at this time when schools are reopening and Kenyans are returning to work after the festivities.
He added that, in addition to compliance checks, they will also monitor PSVs for issues such as carrying excess passengers or speeding, as motorists may attempt to take advantage of the back-to-school season.
“Most of the cases we addressed this morning involved a lack of motor vehicle inspection certificates, expired driver’s licenses, and PSVs that failed to comply with road service licensing requirements.
We urge motorists to adhere to safety regulations and ensure their vehicles are inspected in good time to avoid inconvenience for themselves and their customers,” he said.
Road carnage claims at least 3,000 lives every year in the country. Last year, 3,369 people lost their lives on the roads, according to a report released by the National Police Service on September 17, 2024. Of these fatalities, 1,281 were pedestrians, 825 were motorcyclists, 654 were passengers, and 281 were drivers. This figure reflects a slight increase compared to 2023, when 3,151 people died in road accidents during a similar period.
