Africa-Press – Kenya. Thousands of drivers could be subjected to fresh tests by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) ahead of the December Christmas festive season as the agency intensifies efforts to curb road accidents.
Active NTSA Director General Angela Wanjira announced a raft of new measures on Sunday, November 16, ahead of the busy festive season to curb accidents after a report indicated that there was a 2.6 per cent increase in road crash victims in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Among the measures the NTSA is set to undertake going forward is subjecting drivers who were flagged through enforcement initiatives and the NTSA Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS) to mandatory re-testing to confirm their competency on the road.
Launched in 2023, the IRSMS is central to NTSA’s festive season strategy since it is a digital platform which monitors vehicles, including PSVs and commercial fleets.
The system tracks speed, the driver’s behaviour, braking patterns and route compliance. Afterwards, it sends alerts when violations such as reckless overtaking and speeding occur.
Since the system also analyses violations and generates alerts for those who breach safety standards, the drivers can be targeted by the NTSA for retraining to improve overall road safety.
In the Sunday report, Wanjira emphasised that the authority intended to enforce real-time IRSMS transmission, ensuring PSVs and commercial fleets remain under non-stop safety monitoring.
During the festive season, drivers flagged by the system will risk losing their licences as they will be subjected to corrective measures.
In addition to re-testing rogue drivers, NTSA is also set to expand its famed Usalama Barabarani programme, which focuses on seat belt usage, managing driver fatigue and raising awareness on responsible road practices.
Wanjira also announced that the NTSA would embark on pre-festive inspection clinics at bus termini in the run-up to the festive season, since most buses are set for a business boom with many Kenyans travelling to the countryside.
Further, the Authority will also collaborate with the National Police Service to intensify multi-agency strategies which emphasise prevention over reaction to accidents. This, according to the Director General, was a proactive step to ensure drivers adhere to road safety standards.
The festive season measures are largely the government’s way to prepare for a season where road accidents have historically risen.
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