Thirty-two pedestrians in Nairobi killed in road accidents since Jan – Police

Thirty-two pedestrians have died in road accidents since January 2022 in Nairobi in what the police have attributed to their lack of using designated foot bridges in the city.
Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Nairobi Traffic Commander Joshua Omukuta stated that an additional eighty-nine pedestrians are nursing serious injuries, describing the trend as worrisome.
“This is a serious matter that we are giving advice that the government invested a lot in designing, developing and constructing the foot bridges for the purpose of ensuring that all pedestrians are crossing the road safely. So, we are giving directives that use the foot bridges for your own sake,” he said.
Two pedestrians on Wednesday night were killed in road accidents in the city and sixteen motor cyclists have also died during the same period under review.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in 2021 in its report revealed that the percentage of road accidents in the country stood at 17.3 percent.
Motorcyclists accounted for the highest number of those killed, with 1634 deaths, followed by pedestrians at 1477 while passengers were third at 727, with drivers coming fourth at 426.
Omukuta warned that if the trend persists and pedestrians continue ignoring traffic rules, the number of road accidents fatalities in the country is projected to rise.
He further put on notice Public Service Vehicles (PSV) that are notorious on breaking traffic rules on the road notably by overlapping.
“This matter of driving vehicles recklessly should stop, and we are swinging into action to tame the rogue drivers,” he said.