Stakeholders in road safety want the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Board disbanded over claims of laxity in fighting road carnage.

Officials of the National Road Safety Association led by the chairman David Kiarie called for the formation of a new board that has representatives from the matatu industry and other stakeholders.

“This is the worst board we have ever had and it should be dissolved forthwith, if not then NTSA itself must be scrapped. They have failed us badly,” said Kiarie.

Speaking during the launch of a nationwide road safety campaign ahead of the festive season, Kiarie said Matatu Owners Association (MOA) leaders should also be incorporated in the road safety regulation board.

“We cannot continue having the current board when the death toll on the roads remains high with the figure hitting the 6,000 mark so far,” said Kiarie during the event at Green Park Terminal in Nairobi on December 20, 2022.

The official claimed that a cartel has infiltrated the NTSA and asked the Transport Cabinet Secretary to move with speed and disband the group that he claimed was compromising the road safety campaign.

“We demand that representatives from MOA be in the Board because their members play a key role in matters of road safety,” said Kiarie who was accompanied by Speed Governor and Road Safety Association Chairman Edward Gitonga.

He also disputed a figure of 3,500 road accident deaths issued by NTSA saying it doesn’t capture those who die later in hospitals.

Kiarie criticized the Transport Ministry for reviving the issue of issuance of new number plates which he said is not a priority. “Our business is about saving lives, not the number plates,” he added.

Gitonga asked motorists to observe the speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour for public service vehicles and 110 for private vehicles, noting that speeding was the main cause of fatal accidents.

A member of the safety Elijah Manyeki, a victim of road carnage who his legs in an accident made a passionate appeal to drivers to exercise caution during the Christmas festival period when most fatalities occur.

The Nairobi Central Business District traffic operations commander David Apima said said police will be strict on violation of speed limits.