Kenya’s Roads Turn Deadly: NTSA’s Enforcement Failures Fuel Fatal Crash Surge
Road fatalities in Kenya have spiked alarmingly in early 2026, with critics like the Long Distance Drivers and Conductors’ Association (LoDCA) blasting the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) for a flawed safety strategy that prioritizes intimidation over real reform.
In a statement dated 06 January 2026, the Long-Distance Drivers and Conductors’ Association (LoDCA) confirms that public expectation for 2026 was that road safety enforcement would focus on prevention, accountability, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Instead, the current approach has exposed significant gaps between policy, enforcement, and real safety outcomes.
“Instead, the country continues to experience rising road crashes and fatalities, exposing serious gaps between policy, enforcement, and real safety outcomes,” the body said.
LoDCA’s Sharp RebukeLo
DCA issued a scathing statement on January 6, 2026, accusing NTSA of failing public expectations for prevention-focused enforcement, instead allowing gaps between policy and outcomes that drive rising crashes.
“Road safety cannot be achieved through intimidation, extortion, or public relations exercises.”
The group highlighted how joint operations have devolved into “extortion points” rife with corruption, harassment, and selective policing, eroding driver trust rather than boosting compliance.
The association called on NTSA and the ministries to immediately:
-End ineffective and exploitative cosmetic joint operations
-Implement technology-driven enforcement strategies
-Enforce labour laws within the transport sector
-Engage meaningfully with stakeholders on road safety initiatives
They also slammed the Ministries of Labour and Transport for silence on worker welfare issues like excessive hours and unsafe demands that heighten accident risks.
“Abuse of labour laws and unsafe operational demands continue to put drivers and road users at risk.”
Surge in Tragic Crashes
Recent incidents underscore the crisis: six died, including a bus driver, in a rear-end collision with a truck at Fort Ternan on the Londiani-Muhoroni road on January 5.
Just hours earlier, 10 perished at Naivasha’s Karai blackspot, totaling 16 deaths in under 24 hours, amid post-festive travel rushes.
NTSA reported 16 crashes in one day alone, with broader data showing 31 fatalities in the first six days of 2026 and a 22.5% January rise over last year.
Kenya’s road carnage stems from multiple factors beyond NTSA’s tactics. Rogue driving schools churn out undertrained drivers lacking highway or night skills, despite perfect pass rates, per the Motorists Association of Kenya.
Blackspots like Fort Ternan and Kikopey persist without fixes, while pedestrians often most vulnerable bear heavy losses, as seen in 2025’s Q1 data of 420 deaths.
Economic pressures fuel overloaded vehicles and fatigued drivers, compounded by poor infrastructure on highways like Nairobi-Nakuru.
LoDCA demands NTSA scrap cosmetic ops for tech-driven tools like surveillance cameras, enforce labor laws, and engage stakeholders genuinely.
Broader reforms could include stricter vehicle inspections, breathalyzers, and blackspot engineering, echoing past NTSA warnings on drunk driving. Without action, Kenya risks missing global road safety targets, as fatalities climb and families grieve preventable losses.