KISII, Kenya, Nov 17 — The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Sunday said road accident-related fatalities had risen to 4,103 as at November 17, 2022, surpassing fatalities reported in a similar period in 2021 when 3,947 deaths were documented.
The fatalities recorded in slightly over ten months were well on the way to eclipse overall crash-related deaths in 2021 when Kenya documented 4,579 deaths.
NTSA released the provisional statistics on Sunday as Kenya joined celebrations to mark UN-recognized World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
The authority’s data indicated pedestrians accounted for the highest number of fatalities at 1,486. The second highest toll was registered among motorcyclists.
Speaking during a candle lighting event at Kisii’s Daraja Moja bridge, NTSA’s South Nyanza Regional Manager Aden Adow said the fatality figures are alarming and every Kenyan should act to prevent further road accidents by obeying traffic laws.
Adow termed the situation as “devastating.”
“Road safety is a shared responsibility and everybody has a stake and a part to play, we urge road users to follow traffic laws always,” he said.
The UN General Assembly adopted every third Sunday of November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims to acknowledge victims of road traffic accidents and their families.
Nations, civil society organizations and international road safety communities mark the day globally through awareness campaigns.
The theme for 2022 is “Remember, Support, Act.”
The theme seeks to promote awareness on traffic laws, enforcement, and encourage thorough investigations to establish if a crime has been committed in the event of a riad crash.
Campaigners further seek to prevent recurrent occurrences and encourage criminal proceedings and appropriate civil compensation.
