Mombasa County, NTSA Launches Road Safety Campaign ahead of Festivities

By Harrison Kivisu

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The Mombasa County Government in collaboration with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and National Police Service (NPS) have embarked on a road safety campaign to prevent road incidents.

The mass media campaign dubbed ‘Slow Down, Speeding Ruins Lives’ highlights the dangers of speeding and importance of adhering to safe driving to protect lives.

The campaign is developed with technical support from global public health organisation, Vital Strategies, an implementing partner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).

The campaign, which targets drivers and the general public, emphasizes on the need to observe safe speed limits, particularly during festive season, when many Kenyans travel for celebrations.

The campaign is informed by extensive message and testing conducted across four counties in collaboration with USIU-Africa, PSAs where different approaches were tested to identify which will most effectively resonate with the public.

This comes as NTSA says it will deploy new technology for capturing motor vehicle speeding on major roads so as to avert road accidents during this Christmas and New Year festivities.

Speaking in Mombasa during the launch road safety media campaign on December 10, NTSA motor vehicle registration and licensing director Cosmas Ngeso says the use of speed enforcement detection devices (SEDs) reduces the incidents of speeding, road traffic accidents, injuries and deaths.

The director warned motorists and other road users who violate road regulations would be charged in accordance with the traffic regulations and laws.

Ngeso, who spoke on behalf of the authority, reiterated its commitment of enforcing traffic regulations during this period Kenyans were traveling to various parts of the country for Christmas holidays.

On his part, the Coast regional traffic commander George Kashmir regretted that road incidents remain among the major killers of people on the roads within the region.

The traffic boss warned against drug driving, overspending, use of unroadworthy vehicles and failure to respect other road users or road signs.

“Police will be out in the streets to ensure that road users observe road regulations during this Christmas and new year festivities,” he said.

He says parking on the roadside is an offense and will be punishable. He cautioned owners of vehicles to remain vigilant and hands on their drivers.

Coast region’s matatu owners association chairman Ali Bathez emphasized on the training of drivers and road users to be cautious against overspeeding.

“We are cautioning our drivers to observe road safety measures as they use the road, speeding kills and we would not allow that to happen in future,” he said.

Mombasa tuktuk operators chair Kibangendi asked the players in the transport sector to heighten their campaign against violation of road rules.

“We have tough measures to control tuktuks. They are the most notorious and our appeal is for sustained enforcement of regulations for the sector. We are planning to make it the best transport system ever,” he said.

Mombasa county bodaboda chairman Samuel Ogutu emphasized on the need to regulate the bodaboda sector described as the last mile in the transportation sector.

“The official now wants players involved in the delivery to be strongly regulated due to the infiltration of rogue operators,” he said.

“We have a challenge on motorbikes that do delivery of goods, the sector has been infiltrated by rogue operators who con unsuspecting Kenyans, while they also over speed.”

Mombasa county transport executive Daniel Manyala said the county government would increase budget allocation for facilitating the enforcement of road safety regulations.

“We are going to partner with other players including the police officers and traffic marshalls to ensure smooth traffic flow during the festivities,” he said.

On policy and regulations, he hinted that the county had launched a county transport action plan that was domesticated to Mombasa road safety policy in the quest to heighten enforcement.

“We are developing a Mombasa county road safety policy as part of specific interventions to suppress the rising number of road crashes within our roads in the county.”

The campaign materials will be disseminated through on television, radio, and digital platforms in five languages, and supported by digital billboards across the county. 

Police-led outreach teams will be stationed at key traffic points to engage drivers, and encourage them to sign pledges for safer driving. 

Social media amplification will be done by NTSA, local leaders, and community partners to reach a wider audience.

The speeding campaign will be rolled out together with the NPS in Mombasa who have been training on safe speed implementation and best practices through the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP).

Enforcement will be done through the use of speed cameras that will be able to capture drivers exceeding speed limits. 

NPS will actively engage drivers in areas where speed cameras are deployed to curb speeding on major roads within Mombasa. 

Drivers found exceeding speed limits will be issued fines or traffic tickets, and in severe cases, may be required to appear in court.

According to a 2023 report by the NTSA, over 4,000 lives are lost annually on Kenyan roads, with speeding identified as one of the leading risk factors. 

Mary Wanja, 35, a resident of Likoni, Mombasa, shares her harrowing experience of a road crash several months ago as a result of speeding matatu which left her husband, John, paralyzed.

“It was just a normal day. I was traveling with my husband in a matatu that was speeding.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. When we got to the hospital, the doctor told us my husband would never walk again. I was devastated and didn’t know where to start. Now, I am left as the breadwinner of my family while also taking care of my paralyzed husband.

Speeding may seem thrilling, but your life can change in an instant,” she says.

Similarly, Ruth Machocho, 28, lost her leg in a crash caused by a speeding truck along the old Malindi Road in Nyali area of Mombasa. 

Now using a prosthetic limb, she shares how the crash transformed her life and expressed hope that no one else will endure such trauma.

“Life has really changed, I have to do something different from what I used to do, from a modeling professional to a disability advocate, that’s why we are sending the message out there for people to know speeding kills,” she says.

Speaking at the campaign launch, Mombasa governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir praised the initiative for its potential to save lives and its unique approach of addressing speeding as a major risk factor.

“We continue to lose far too many lives on our roads due to speeding. I urge all drivers and road users within Mombasa and across the country, as we approach the festive season and celebrate with our families, to observe the set speed limits. Drive safe to arrive safe,” he said. 

NTSA director general George Njao reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to collaborating with the NPS in preventing road traffic crashes during the festive season. 

“Speeding has claimed far too many lives. Observing safe speed limits is not just about following traffic laws; it’s about saving lives,” he said. 

The authority will enhance its collaboration with NPS and other stakeholders to sensitize, educate, and enforce safe speed limits during this festive season.

BIGRS initiative coordinator Vipul Patel highlighted the global challenge of speed management and the need for a sustained, multidisciplinary response.

“Effective speed management is critical in ensuring road safety,” he said.

Speeding is a major key risk factor in road safety. It increases the risk of a crash and the severity of the injuries sustained when a crash occurs.

“Everyone deserves safe streets. Yet, an estimated 1.19 million lives are lost on the world’s roads each year, with speeding a leading cause of these preventable tragedies,” said Tsion Kiros, communication manager for Kenya at Vital Strategies.

He added, “Governments need to fundamentally reimagine road safety: prioritizing those most at risk—pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists—to reduce the likelihood and the severity of crashes.”

The ‘Speed Ruins Lives: Slow Down’ campaign seeks to educate drivers and the general public on Kenya’s speed limits while supporting their enforcement.