More than 1,717 people have been killed in road accidents since the beginning of this year, this is according to the NTSA.
National Transport and Safety Authority Director Road Safety Andrew Kiplagat speaking to the media in Bomet town on Saturday, noted that the fatalities on motorcycles are worrying.
“The fatalities from pedestrians recorded high numbers which means that they are being knocked by motorcycles and motorists," Kiplagat said.
In attendance were Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei, Bomet County Traffic Enforcement Officer Allan Ogolla and Bomet Central Sub County Deputy Police Commander Bashir Ali.
He noted that the rising number of fatalities reported in the area is due to the failure of boda boda operators to comply with road safety requirements.
“I have visited various parts of this area and what I can say is, most of the boda boda operators do not have the requirements including the helmets and insurance,” he said.
The director encouraged all the motorists within the area to comply with the traffic rules to reduce the high numbers being reported.
Kiplagat noted that the number of road accidents was higher from January to March saying they will do more sensitisation on road safety to cut down the numbers of crashes.
Sigei encouraged motorists to be cautious with the traffic rules set by the road agency and have licences and insurance as required by the law.
“I want to encourage all to comply with the rules given by the NTSA, drivers should also renew their licences and take insurance," Sigei said.
The lawmaker told the bodaboda riders to observe the traffic rules to avoid more loss of lives.
On his part, Ali said that the primary role of the pedestrians starts with safety when boarding the vehicles by ensuring they get a seat, tighten their safety belts and ensure the driver and conductor comply with the road rules before the start of the journey.
He challenged the public not to condemn the police officer for collecting bribes without evidence.
"Let us clear the notion that police officers are aggravating the accidents caused within our roads, saying they collect bribes is condemning somebody without evidential value," Bashir Ali said.
The NTSA partnered with the Wakili Sigei Foundation and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) to make road safety campaign awareness across all the sub-counties in Bomet.
The one-week campaign was designed to inform both the general public and key stakeholders in the transportation sector about the critical significance of adhering to safety protocols, to reduce the distressing frequency of traffic accidents nationwide.
The team also planted more than 5,000 trees across all sub-counties in the county in a bid to reach the presidential target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.