The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) announced on Sunday that road accident fatalities had risen to 4,103 as of November 17, 2022, surpassing fatalities reported in a similar period in 2021, when 3,947 people died.
The fatalities recorded in slightly more than ten months were on track to outnumber overall crash-related deaths in 2021, when Kenya recorded 4,579 deaths.
The provisional statistics were released by the NTSA on Sunday, as Kenya marked the UN-recognized World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
The highest number of fatalities, 1,486 according to the report, involved pedestrians. Motorcyclists came second, with 1,085 fatalities.
During the same period 721 passengers, 378 drivers, 377 pillion passengers, and 56 cyclists have also died in road accidents.
A total of 8,371 have suffered serious injuries, while 6,000 survived with slight injuries
NTSA’s South Nyanza Regional Manager Aden Adow said during a candle-lighting event at Kisii’s Daraja Moja bridge that the fatality figures are alarming and that every Kenyan should act to prevent further road accidents by obeying traffic laws.
Adow termed the situation as “devastating.”
“Road safety is a shared responsibility and everybody has a stake and a part to play, we urge road users to follow traffic laws always,” he said.
The accidents blamed on factors such as speeding, reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, drunk driving, walking drunk, failure to use seatbelts, failure to use helmets by riders/pillion passengers amongst others.
The United Nations General Assembly designated the third Sunday of November as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims to honor traffic accident victims and their families.
The day is observed globally by nations, civil society organizations, and international road safety communities through awareness campaigns.
