•Bett said that the culture of bribery on the roads is being perpetrated by the road users themselves
•He said despite the country being full of people who claim to be Christians, they are always the first to give bribes to police even before they are asked for it
Former minister for roads Franklin Bett has come to the defense of Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen over the high number of accidents in the country.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bett called on Kenyans blaming Murkomen for the road carnage to put blame squarely where it belongs; on themselves.
"As the former minister for roads, I keep on hearing blame being heaped on the minister for roads Murkomen. I want to indicate we are directing our anger on the wrong person," Bett said.
He said that the accident which happened in Kericho on Monday night for instance had nothing to do with Murkomen but the driver behind the steering wheel.
The former minister pointed out that the rising number of accidents on Kenyan roads is primarily a result of poor behavior among Kenyan drivers.
He claimed that many Kenyan drivers lack proper driving etiquette, show a lack of courtesy on the roads, and disregard traffic regulations, merely driving because they have access to a vehicle.
"Where is the minister for roads to blame when you are driving your own vehicle and you are driving it carelessly without giving courtesy or even following traffic rules and without even being careful more in this rainy season?" Bett paused.
He said accidents being recorded in other countries such as Australia, and America are few because people are determined and committed to following traffic rules.
Bett further raised concern that Kenyans insist on boarding already overloaded vehicles without putting into consideration their own safety.
"The passenger is to blame. You are told the vehicle is full but you are still requesting to enter and squeeze yourself, some even in the vehicle's boot, where is Murkomen in all that?" Bett asked.
On the other hand, he said that the culture of bribery on the roads is being perpetrated by the road users themselves.
The former minister said despite the country being full of people who claim to be Christians, they are always the first to give bribes to police even before they are asked for it.
As this happens, Bett said that the passengers who are seated in the vehicle also fail to raise their voices and as a result end up dying from crashes not far from the roadblocks.
"We claim to be 80 per cent plus Christian yet when you come to a roadblock you are the first one to give out money to the police," he claimed,
"A few metres from there you are in a serious accident, all those people who are overloaded die and you still want to blame Murkomen," Bett added.
The National Transport and Safety Authority revealed that since the year started 7,198 Kenyans have been involved in roads accidents, marking an increase of 1,908 compared to last year.
According to NTSA data, the accidents are from January 1 to April 1.
Among the 7,198 Kenyans, NTSA reveals that 1,189 died from road accidents, 3,316 were seriously injured and 2,693 suffered from minor injuries.
This paints a grim picture compared to the same period in 2023 where deaths from crashes stood at 1,129, those who were seriously injured were 2,435, and atleast 1,726 were slightly injured.