The Motorists Association has raised alarm over what it describes as a broken driving training and licensing system in Kenya, warning that it is directly contributing to the high number of road accidents and deaths.

In a statement shared on X on Saturday, January 3, 2025, the association painted a troubling picture of how untrained drivers are finding their way onto public roads, often without proper testing or learning. The group said the problem is not isolated incidents but a widespread practice that continues to put lives at risk every day.

The association said many drivers currently on Kenyan roads were never properly trained and only learned how to move vehicles, not how to drive safely or responsibly. It warned that corruption within driving schools and licensing authorities has allowed unsafe practices to become normal, with little regard for the long-term consequences on road safety.

“Applicant with no driving training simply paid a driving school, the licensing authority took its cut, and a licence was issued without testing or learning. This is the norm, not the exception. These are the drivers on our roads today. They know how to move a vehicle, not how to drive,” the statement reads

The association said the impact of poor training is visible on highways across the country, where dangerous habits have become common. It noted that many drivers fail to observe basic rules such as maintaining a safe following distance, instead engaging in risky behaviour that puts themselves and others in danger.

“You see it clearly on the highway: tailgating, peeping from behind the vehicle ahead instead of keeping a safe following distance, moving in wolf packs rather than creating their own lone space. Most driving schools are complicit, running as scams where everyone passes. Critical training on night driving, bad weather, and yes, proper highway driving is ignored,” the Motorists Association wrote

According to the Motorists Association, these failures in training and licensing explain why fatal road accidents continue to dominate news headlines. The group said the focus should not only be on blaming drivers after crashes occur, but on fixing the system that produces unprepared motorists in the first place.

“The outcome is predictable (Recurrent fatalities breaking news) every time. The crisis did not start on the road; it started in training and licensing. The fish, as always, rots from the top,” the statement reads

The association called for urgent reforms in how drivers are trained and licensed, saying meaningful change must begin with stricter oversight of driving schools and accountability within licensing authorities. It said that without addressing these root causes, road carnage will remain a painful reality for Kenyan families.