550 drivers to spend Christmas in jail for breaking traffic rules

Be warned Kenyans, if you happen to be arrested this festive season, you will stay in jail longer than usual. If you were arrested on Saturday, you will be in jail until Wednesday. Do yourself a favour, stick to your lane and observe all the traffic rules.

That is the case with 553 drivers who have been arrested over the last few days for breaking traffic rules across the country. This number will definitely rise as more Kenyans hit the roads for various destinations.

The police, in conjunction with the National Transport and Safety Authority launched the Fika Salama campaign after a string of major fatal accidents in a week shocked the entire country.

NTSA, the state corporation whose mission is to ensure our roads are safe was on the receiving end for laxity and always reacting instead of being proactive, decided to up their game.

In a statement released yesterday, NTSA revealed that 800 cases of traffic violations had been handled.

“Since the roll-out of the NTSA Fika Salama Campaign, that saw increased enforcement activities countrywide, over 800 cases of traffic law violations have been handled,” read the statement.

This is the numbers stack up.

• 34 PSV, 42 commercial and 310 private vehicle drivers arrested for speeding.
• 13 commercial, 57 PSV and 13 private drivers arrested for drunk driving.
• 147 vehicles impounded for operating without valid Motor Vehicle Inspection.
• 84 drivers arrested for failing to maintain lane discipline.

“All the case will be presented in court in the coming week. We continue to appeal to all motorists to be responsible road users during this festive season,” said NTSA.