Kisumu, 10/12/2007
 
MANY POLICEMEN DEPLOYED ON THE ROAD BUT KENYANS STILL BLEEDING TO DEATH

By Leo Odera Omolo

Failure to observe the speed governor rule by motorists in the passenger transport sector and failure on the part of the traffic police to reinforce traffic law are some of the causes of the latest road carnage which has claimed the lives of close to 30 people in Western Kenya within a week.

Matatu drivers plying major roads such as Kisumu-Kisii,Kisumu-Busia,Kisumu- Kakamega,Eldoret,Kapsabet and Eldoret-Kitale seemed to have abandoned the speed governor rule introduced by the Minister for Internal Security when he was incharge of Transport Ministry a few years ago.

Eight people perished on Kaplang-Bomet road last weekend .The same weekend seven people died on Kisumu-Bondo road .The other major accidents occurred near Keroka in Kisii while another accident took place on the main Kisii- Migori road.

Passengers traveling in Matatu plying Kisumu-Kisii road via Oyugis have observed drivers flying over 140km/hr instead of the regulated 85km/hr .The same is with the matatu plying Kisii-Rongo -Awendo-Migori roads.

Strangely enough police are visible everywhere on the road. There are also numerous roads blocks and round check points and manned by dozens of policemen sitting idle reading newspapers by the road side.

But allegations about the rampant corruption are even widespread. Most of the checkpoints on the road; according to travelers are only used as collection points. Drivers and conductors are said to be parting with 100/- at every checkpoint or roadblock. But very few traffic offenders are booked and taken to court despite of police ever present!

For political expediency the authorities have relaxed the uniform wearing rule simply to attract voters from matatu crews. But the situation has gone far much beyond the government expectation.

Matatu is deliberately and fragrantly flouting traffic rules and country buses crews. Kenyans were also wondering why many policemen are being assigned to work on the many roads. If such officers cannot book the speeding matatu drivers nor charge the conducters with excess passengers!!

This writer boarded a matatu at the Daraja Mbili outside Kisii town last week and observed close to 10 road blocks and police check points on the 70 miles drive from Kisii to Kisumu.But observed that as no place did policemen check overloaded and excessively speeding matatu was booked.

Each time the driver passes the roadblocks he and his conductor simply exchanged niceties and smile. No policeman had at anytime cautioned the driver who excessively speeding matatu leave alone peeping their eyes into the vehicle to check on the number of the passengers sitting inside. The officer appeared to be hell-bent on talking to conductors and then waving them off with broad smile after exchanging niceties and TKK.

Something ought to be done to stop this reckless road carnage. Kenyans are bleeding to death and it is time somebody in the government and police authority must act precisely to stop the road carnage. In the country it is robbing us of highly productive women and men on daily basis.

In the neighboring Uganda, there is no roadblock visible anywhere on the main highway. Matatus plying Busia, Kampala via Jinja is without conductors. Only drivers who operate them on firm instructions not to carry excess passengers. Any offender is subjected to heavy penalties and a fine that can be in excess of the value of the vehicle itself.

It is the driver who collects fares from the passengers at every stoppage but only after ferrying such passengers to their destination.

The strict and stringent traffic rules imposed by President Yoweri Museveni has drastically brought to normal and happiness by travelers. It has brought same to the transport sector.

Such reputation should be introduced here in Kenya as the way of reducing road carnage.

There is nothing wrong in police bosses pouring a large number of policemen to man the roads if the purpose is to ensure the safety of road users is assured and minimizing accidents

But it doesn’t pay if such officer turned to be sources of promotion massive corruption. What is happening that most traffic policemen are not here to enforce the law but specifically to harvest money from matatu crews. They do it with impunity and without taking extra caution where passengers traveling in their vehicles at times don’t take interest in the unfolding events and happening

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com