Road Safety Activists Demand NTSA Director General’s Immediate Exit

The outspoken Road Safety Association of Kenya marched a protest at the NTSA headquarters in Nairobi, with a clear goal to deliver a formal petition demanding the immediate removal of the NTSA Director General, George Njao. The association’s chairperson, David Njoroge Kierie, asserted that the Director General had allegedly been facilitating the very corruption that costs lives daily on Kenyan roads. Kierie reminded the authority that the Kenyan people pay for this office and provide their salaries, therefore expecting them to perform their duties diligently.

The association specifically alleged that a staggering 1.2 million vehicles had not undergone the required inspection process in the year 2024 alone. This lapse, they further claimed, had generated an estimated Ksh7.2 billion in bribes, funds that should have been channeled towards ensuring public safety. The devastating human cost of this negligence, the protesters highlighted, is evidenced by the approximately 60,000 people who have died in road accidents over the past six years.

Beyond the allegations of graft, the petition raised significant operational faults that undermine the authority’s mandate. One key failure cited was the NTSA’s inability to take full operational control of the Transport Integrated Management System, known as TIMS, despite the system having gone live two years ago in March 2023. This critical lapse means the authority lacks essential access to generate the necessary performance and revenue tracking reports.

The mismanagement extends to other crucial public safety initiatives, including the rollout of modern licensing. The association also alleged that over four million smart driving licenses have been delivered to the NTSA offices, yet a vast majority of these licenses remain unused, with no satisfactory public explanation provided for the delay. Compounding these technical issues is the alarming detail that no formal contract was ever signed for the adoption of the TIMS system.

Finally, the protesters reserved sharp criticism for the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, which they accused of failing in its duty. The association noted that all the crucial auditor general’s reports detailing the authority’s misconduct have been sitting on the EACC’s desk for more than two years without any corresponding action or prosecution being initiated. These protests, therefore, represent a public demand for accountability and a desperate plea for an end to the preventable bloodshed on the nation’s roads.