The Road Safety Association of Kenya (RSAK) on Monday issued a strongly worded statement in Nairobi, declaring that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has failed to deliver on its mandate as the country continues to lose lives in preventable crashes.
The Association noted that Kenya is sliding backwards on road safety outcomes, even after the government unveiled the Kenya National Road Safety Action Plan (2024–2028), which President William Ruto launched in April 2024 with a commitment to halve fatalities by the end of 2028.
RSAK has listed recent mass-casualty crashes as evidence that enforcement, leadership, and coordination have collapsed.
August 8, 2025: Kisumu Coptic Roundabout bus rollover — at least 25 deaths.
August 7, 2025: Naivasha Morendat train–staff bus collision — 9 deaths.
August 9, 2025: Korompoi/Kitengela matatu–lorry crash — 8 deaths.
September 29, 2025: Kariandusi near Kikopey matatu–trailer collision — 13 fatalities, with an ambulance crash on the same day claiming 6 more lives.
The Association adds that national statistics confirm a dangerous trend, with fatalities rising from 4,324 in 2023 to 4,748 in 2024, marking a 10 percent increase, and with over 300 lives already lost in 2025.
It has warned that Kenya is drifting off-course from its target of reducing deaths by half, saying that strategies have failed to translate into real safety on the ground.
RSAK has also drawn attention to governance failures and vested interests that have crippled NTSA, pointing to multiple areas that demand urgent redirection.
Leadership and Governance: Attempts have been made to extend the Director General’s tenure in breach of the NTSA Act, politically influenced recruitment has been reported, bribery for employment has been alleged, and questionable ICT system investments since 2016 have been flagged without evidence of value for money.
Privatization and Cartels: Proposals have surfaced to privatize vehicle inspection through PPPs without transparency, the KS2295 telematics standard of 2019 has not been implemented, and cartels have been accused of misleading the President while seeking private gain. RSAK has also noted that KCB Bank was the only private entity invited to the Inter-Agency Road Safety Conference in Mombasa on September 18, 2025, raising questions about vested influence.
The Association has reminded Kenyans that this crisis is not only about policy failure but also about a pattern of governance erosion within NTSA, as reports have indicated that attempts have been made to extend the tenure of the Director General in breach of the NTSA Act, while politically influenced recruitment and allegations of bribery for employment have undermined professionalism, and at the same time questionable ICT investments dating back to 2016 have drained public resources without any clear evidence of value for money or a reduction in road crashes.
It has further cautioned that the capture of road safety institutions by vested interests has now reached Parliament itself, with reports that some members have been approached to table a private motion seeking the dissolution of NTSA altogether, an initiative which the Association argues is being driven not by a genuine concern for public welfare but as a cover for years of mismanagement, thereby making it imperative that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) step in without delay.
At the same time, the Association has reiterated that the push to privatize core functions such as motor vehicle inspection through Public–Private Partnerships cannot proceed in secrecy and without public participation, particularly when the KS2295 telematics standard published in 2019 has yet to be implemented, while cartels continue to thrive and even mislead the President under the guise of offering solutions, and the fact that KCB Bank stood out as the only private entity invited to the recent Inter-Agency Road Safety Conference in Mombasa has been cited as a troubling sign of influence-peddling in an arena that should remain impartial and citizen-focused.
“Kenya’s road safety future cannot be auctioned off to cartels, compromised by political deals, or hidden behind technical jargon that is never acted upon,” RSAK Chairman David N. Kiarie stated, warning that without immediate course correction, the country risks a collapse of trust in NTSA and the continuation of a death toll that could have been avoided.
Below is the full press statement released by the Road Safety Association of Kenya, outlining its findings, demands, and proposed measures to restore leadership, integrity, and accountability in the country’s road safety framework.
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