President William Ruto has given Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen an ultimatum over increased cases of road accidents.

The Head of State was speaking today (Wednesday, April 17) during launch of the first National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028 at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.

Ruto announced that he would convene another meeting in a year to assess progress of the action plan, which involves a number of stakeholders across ministries, public and private transport sectors.

“One year from now we will have another meeting and in that one year from now, Kipchumba Murkomen you better come and report to us that the numbers are coming down. Otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble,” he asserted.

The first in command noted that it was part of his government’s plan to transform Kenya’s transport system from sites of frequent road accidents into productive networks. This in the long run is to make Kenya an attractive destination globally.

He was however quick to remind Kenyans that road safety was a collective responsibility.

“I urge all Kenyans to observe road safety and report violations as part of their civic duty under community policing. Do not travel in overloaded vehicles, and use the earliest opportunity to alight from speeding or recklessly driven vehicles,” Ruto explained.

To successfully implement the National Road Safety Action Plan, the President directed ministries, state departments and agencies to collaborate through a multi-agency framework to enhance road safety.

Ruto pledged to increase capacity of National Police Service to boost performance of traffic officers on the Kenyan roads.

“The government is committed to supporting the implementation of the National Road Safety Action Plan by providing resources, addressing legal and regulatory gaps, enhancing the capacity of the National Police Service to enforce the traffic law, and investing in the automation and digitisation of law enforcement and traffic management, among other interventions.”

He further issued a tough warning to police officers, asking them to take strict action against all road users flouting traffic rules. This applies to pedestrians, boda boda riders, heavy commercial vehicles, school buses and vans as well as private vehicles.

National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) says 649 people have since died on Kenyan roads since January 2024.