Plans to retrain drivers of all public service vehicles and trucks make a lot of sense, coming immediately after a difficult end of year where about 300 lives were lost within a month.
Yearly, Kenya loses more than 2,500 people to senseless accidents on the roads, a number which is dizzyingly high and any programme to reduce this tally is a step in the right direction.
According to the plan, up to 400,000 drivers will need to go back to school. For a meaningful undertaking, the government ought to ensure that the exercise does not end up as a make-believe where the corrupt circumvent processes and end up with bogus results.
The ministries of Transport and Interior should work closely and engage their agencies in ensuring the re-assessment achieve intended goals.
What’s more, having a good plan on paper is one thing, enforcement is the bigger test for authorities. It would amount to nought when the vehicle handlers are trained but are allowed a laissez faire environment where they are the law unto themselves.
We reiterate that the government must increasingly monitor the roads and make it continuous, covering areas like health and discipline. After this retraining, buying a bus ticket must not turn out to be buying a death ticket.
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