Administration Police and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers have been empowered to enforce traffic rules.

The chairman of taskforce on Traffic Reforms Ronald Musengi said all officers will be deployed on the road and will be coordinated by OCPDs to ensure vehicles comply with traffic rules thus end road carnage.

Speaking at a traffic seminar in Embu town yesterday, Musengi said the death toll on Kenyan roads has overtaken deaths caused by sexually transmitted diseases and other diseases in Kenya.

He said this year over 2,700 people have perished on the roads and most of them pedestrians and deaths continue on rising.

He said indiscipline and poor judgment on the side of drivers must be addressed as a matter of priority while pedestrians should change their attitude and obey traffic rules to be safe.

Traffic Commandant Samuel Kimaru announced a nation-wide crackdown of Toyota Probox vans engaged in matatu business.

Mr Kimaru directed traffic enforcement officers to immediately impound such vehicles as none is registered as a matatu.

He said the vans were designed for private enterprises and not for public service businesses. He however added that those wishing to use them as taxis were free to do so as long as they enforced the traffic rules including the yellow line, taxi cap and necessary insurance policies.

“The Government will not tolerate agents of impunity on Kenyan roads such as ferrying passengers on boots of probox vehicles, carrying excessive passengers in total disregard of traffic rules and regulations,” he warned.

The commandant also clarified that school buses should not be ordered to produce TLB licences as they do not have specific routes.

“Police officers should not harass school bus drivers demanding for TLB as they are not required to have them.

Source: STANDARD Digital