NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 11 – Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s assertion on December 20, 2022 that year-round road fatalities had dwarfed all-time records of deaths resulting from COVID-19 is exaggerated.
While the number of crash-related deaths nearly eclipsed those attributed to pandemic-related causes, fatalities linked to COVID-19 remained relatively higher.
While the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reported 4,449 crash-related fatalities as at December 20, 2022, deaths resulting from COVID-19 stood at 5,688 according to figures released by the Ministry of Health on December 21, 2022.
Despite an overall spike in crash-related fatalities compared to previous year, available data provided in this fact check revealed over 1,000 COVID-19 fatalities surpassing those reported from accidents.
Murkoemen’s comparison was thus overstated.
