NTSA Rolls Out Mandatory Directives for Parents and PSVs as Schools Reopen

As the country gears up for school reopening after the long festive season, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued motorists with three mandatory safety requirements.

In a bid to ensure that students who will be reopening school on Monday, January 6, travel safely on the roads, NTSA has directed that all road users adhere to the Highway Code, remain cautious, and reduce speed.

To ensure this is followed, NTSA has listed mandatory requirements for all motorists to have ahead of the reopening.

These requirements include that all vehicles transporting students must have valid insurance, must be roadworthy, and must be fitted with functional speed limiters that transmit data to the NTSA Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS).

The vehicles must also meet all licensing requirements, including valid road service licences and inspection certificates.

In accordance with a directive by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, NTSA shall ensure that there shall be heightened action against illegal and unlicensed PSVs to prevent them from operating as passenger transport vehicles during this period.

To ensure that the vehicles have these mandatory requirements, NTSA has directed parents to verify this before letting their children board.

Further, the authority has directed that no student should be allowed to board a non-compliant vehicle.

“We urge parents, guardians, caregivers, and the public to utilise the NTSA Mobile App to verify essential details of public service vehicles, drivers, and conductors before allowing children to board the vehicles. To ensure their safety, children must not be allowed to board non-compliant vehicles,” the statement read in part.

According to NTSA, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders, including parents, private motorists, public service vehicle operators, school management, guardians, and the community, to ensure that students are safe on the roads as they resume school.

“In the past, community participation has helped rid our roads of rogue motorists. For this reason, we appeal to all citizens to continue advocating for road safety by being on the lookout and reporting non-compliant vehicles and reckless drivers,” NTSA advised.

Kenyans have been advised to embrace road safety, especially during this period as many are travelling back from the countryside and students back to school to avoid accidents.

While performing the multi-agency road safety compliance checks, NTSA noted that cases of blatant disregard for basic traffic rules are the main reason for the numerous accidents witnessed.