Under proposed law, motorists could be fined between Sh30,000 if they drive above the speed limit near the facilities used by children.
Drivers in breach will be fined Sh30,000 or jailed for up two months in changes aimed at improving the safety of children.
School buses will have to be painted yellow and barred from operating between 10pm and 5am.
Motorists face hefty fines and jail terms for driving above 50 kilometres per hour near schools and playgrounds if President Uhuru Kenyatta agrees to a Bill adopted yesterday by Parliament.
Under the proposed law, motorists could be fined between Sh30,000 if they drive above the speed limit near the facilities used by children.
MPs on Tuesday passed through the third reading (final stage) the Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which require vehicles transporting children, especially school buses, be fitted with child safety equipment and features.
School buses will have to be painted yellow and barred from operating between 10pm and 5am.
Drivers in breach will be fined Sh30,000 or jailed for up two months in changes aimed at improving the safety of children.
“Even drunkards will now be able to identify a school bus from a distance owing to its bright colours and slow down,” said Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton, the sponsor of the Bill.
The changes reflect the increased regulations targeted at Kenya’s transport sector as authorities move to reduce road carnage. Violators of the new laws will be expected to appear in court 48 hours after being issued with a police notification of a traffic offence.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) is expected to erect traffic signs alerting motorists of the speed limit around institutions or areas accessed by children.
The signs will be expected to notify motorists where such zones begin and end, and will be supplemented by speed bumps, rumble strips and traffic circles on any road that cuts through the designated zones.
This is set to have repercussions on motorists using highways where drivers can drive at speeds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour.
Public transport vehicles and trucks have speed limits of 80 kilometres per hour.
If Mr Kenyatta approves the Bill, the highways authority could be forced to construct safety features such as pavements, cycle tracks, underpasses and footbridges in areas within the vicinity of schools and hospitals.
The features will also have appropriate signs to alert motorists.
Obstruction of the road that blocks children from viewing oncoming traffic will also be liable for punishment under the proposed laws.
The National Transport and Safety Authority and the Transport ministry have introduced hand-held speed detectors.
Kenya loses an average 3,000 people to road accidents annually in what is attributed to poor training of drivers, lax monitoring of the roads, poor marking of roads and tame punishment for offending drivers.
Among other measures, public service vehicles are now under stricter licensing and ownership rules in efforts to cut the deaths and injuries.
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