Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi is going through the most unimaginable pain any parent would think of, mourning the heartbreaking loss of her son, Elvis Namenya. Many leaders took it to social media and most definitely offline to condole with her.
Kenyans of goodwill also joined in condoling with mheshimiwa just like they condole with their very kin every now and then, when those close to them are involved in road accidents.
Losing a young soul like Elvis is a heavy loss to any country.
Young people with so much promise should not die prematurely, they should be able to live long enough to achieve their full potential.
This directly means that their respective country, in this case Kenya, should see to it that tight policies should curb preventable deaths.
When the late Transport minister John Michuki was alive, he made it his mission to instill discipline on the roads, introducing measures that saved countless lives.
His legacy remains a testament to what strong policies and firm enforcement can achieve.
In fact, there were terms called ‘Michuki roads’ and ‘Michuki rules’ referring to the safety regulations and measures implemented particularly concerning public transport, that were introduced by him in 2003 to improve road safety.
Yet, years later, road safety remains a crisis and we continue to lose young, promising lives.
The loss of a child is something no parent should ever have to endure.
The grief is profound, and the emptiness left behind is immeasurable.
For Elachi, this is not just a political moment, like many Kenyans are touting about, but a deeply personal tragedy, one that reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgency of ensuring safer roads for all.
As leaders, policymakers and citizens, we must reflect on the reality that every preventable road accident is a big failure to enforce laws, a failure to invest in infrastructure and a failure to uphold the value of human life.
It is not enough to mourn. It is not enough to send condolences. We must act and act as soon as possible.
Many young Kenyans who have lost their lives on our roads.
This may be due to un-roadworthy vehicles, careless drivers, a few carefree police who fail to enforce laws and a lack of tight enforcement of policies that make traffic offenders accountable for their offenses.
In honouring Elvis and many other ordinary Kenyans who have been impacted by unsafe roads, we must push for policies that will protect the youth of this nation.
Because no parent should ever wonder what could have been.
