Economy

House wants traffic officers punished for road accidents

pkosing

The National Assembly Transport Committee chair David Pkosing. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Traffic police officers and public vehicle service (PSV) sacco managers will soon bear the greatest responsibility for road accidents if proposals by a House committee become law.

The National Assembly Transport Committee wants the Traffic Act amended to include individual traffic officers and sacco managers on the list of those to be punished in a court of law in the event of fatal accidents.

David Pkosing, who chairs the committee, said MPs will this morning grill Transport cabinet secretary James Macharia, National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) director general Francis Meja, the roads agencies KenHa and Kura as well as the Traffic Commandant over the rising spate of road accidents.

Mr Pkosing chaired a closed door meeting of his committee to prepare MPs on proposals that should be taken in the medium and long term to cut the number of accidents which claimed over 300 lives in the month of December alone.

“We have met to prepare for the meeting with the CS and as you know the issue of road accidents is a serious matter. We want to tell those involved in managing our roads that it will not be business as usual,” Mr Pkosing said after the meeting. He said MPs have put a number of proposals on the table including prosecution of individual police officers assigned to man roads where accidents occur.

READ: Uhuru orders NTSA off the roads in bid to curb accidents

“Members are making proposals that include amendments to the Traffic Act to ensure that an officer assigned to man a road where an accident occurs is prosecuted alongside the respective PSV sacco manager, the driver and owner of the vehicle,” Mr Pkosing said.

The work of a police officer on the road is to enforce the law, ensure that vehicles have speed limiters and are roadworthy while that of a sacco manager is to ensure that drivers have qualifications and that the vehicles are serviced to the required standard, he said.

“Tour firms have fewer accidents because they are disciplined on the roads and their managers are strict. We want to bring responsibility to the traffic officer and managers of PSV saccos,” Mr Pkosing said.