National Road Safety Pre-Conference

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) through the support of the World Bank DIME Group, organized a preconference to discuss the Draft Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) 2023-2027. The Pre-Conference was held at the Edge Conference Center in South C on October 25 and 26 2023. Key stakeholders including government agencies and the private sector were invited to provide comments on how to improve the RSAP. TIMCON Associates Inc., being a key contributor to Road Safety initiatives across the globe was also invited. They were represented by Mr. Zein Sylivetser Mahindu, an Assistant Transportation Engineer.

The RSAP 2023-2027 highlights several priority areas that are critical in improving the Road Safety Situation in Kenya. They include:

1. Coordination of Delivery Partnerships. This priority area aims to focus on the lead agency management of Road Safety initiatives in the county. In order to achieve this the key actions included Developing a National Road Safety Policy, the Establishment of a Multi-Agency Government Framework (MAGF), and County Transport and Safety Committees (CTSC) among others.
2. Funding. Road safety initiatives are cash-intensive endeavors and having clear financing guidelines and partners is crucial to ensuring that all objectives of road safety are attained. Key actions included setting up of a National Road Transport Safety Fund and developing a framework for traffic fines and penalties to support road safety programs among others.
3. Risk Targeting to improve interventions by road users, and road type. A key focus would be on assessing road safety risks and identification of high-risk corridors and urban areas to be targeted.
4. Infrastructure Safety through improved corridor design, capacity building of road safety engineering, review of road design, and road safety manuals. A key area of concern was integrating non-motorized traffic facilities on all road designs.
5. Vehicle Safety Standards and Compliance by developing vehicle safety standards for vehicle manufacturers, periodic testing of vehicles, and vehicle body building regulations. Management of the importation of second-hand vehicles in line with established safety regulations was also a key topic area.
6. Enforcement Targeting User Behavior across the country. This priority area focuses on speed management including speed limit reform and enforcement. The incorporation of a road safety curriculum in schools was also proposed. Periodic safety campaigns based on identified risk areas through a dedicated road safety campaign calendar were among the proposed actions.
7. Post-crash services to victims of road crashes. Currently, there is no dedicated framework on how to handle crash victims from the crash scene to the hospitals. Post-crash care policies are also unclear for the victims. Key areas of focus included establishing a nationwide emergency response system and investing in equipping high-risk corridors with the necessary personnel and facilities.
8. Road Safety Database, Monitoring and Evaluation Systems. The development of a database that would help in providing data for monitoring road performance indicators was a key area of concern. Investment into the existing Road Crash Database developed by TIMCON on behalf of KeNHA and NTSA to ensure the sustainability of the system was also raised. A comprehensive framework for monitoring and evaluation of road safety indicators was also proposed.

The key takeaways from the pre-conference mainly focused on capacity building and investment in better policies in areas of infrastructure, curriculums, enforcement, and data management. As a follow-up, a national conference presenting the final RSAP 2023-2027 will be held in November. This would be the document guiding road safety activities and initiatives in the country for the next five years.

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