Kenyans in UK call for action on killer roads

By SHAMLAL PURI in London, Friday, August 30th 2013

Kenyans living in the UK want urgent government action to stop carnage on the country’s roads.Scores of Kenyans are responding to an international petition launched by Leeds-based Kenyan Joyce Nganga demanding the authorities in Nairobi to work towards building better PSV’s to save lives.

“All PSVs should have standard roll cages installed and regulated by an independent body of engineers,” she said.

Miss Nganga underscored the importance of preventing the unnecessary loss of human life saying “it is nothing less than a threat to national security”.

“With the continuous number of people dying in these carnages, the nation is suffering from a waste of human resources that we have invested in through education, entrepreneurship and future problem solvers, not to mention the loss of our basic social structure – the family,” Nganga said.

“These accidents are mobile guillotines that are not only expensive to our country but also have long-lasting effects on families of victims who receive little or no counselling.”

She said with better quality PSVs, insurance companies will have to pay less in compensation.

London-based Kenyan Cllr Elizabeth Kangethe said in a message, “My sincere condolences to the families of the 41 people who perished in a road accident in Narok Kenya and the 33 others still nursing injuries. My  thoughts and prayers.”

Joe Mwai, a Kenyan who has lived in the UK for 22 years and now spends time between Kenya and UK, says he is appalled by the increasing number of bus and matatu accidents on Kenya’s roads and asked the government to put in place measures to prevent such loss of life.

“I believe there is something deeply wrong with our standards of assembling vehicle bodies locally not to mention the blame on drivers for speeding their vehicles,” Mwai said.

Another Kenyan blamed corrupt traffic police officers for the scourge.