Privatisation Commission Chairman Henry Obwocha wants the national government to undertake major reforms in the public transport sector to curb rising cases of deaths from road accidents.
Speaking at a funeral service at Ramba primary school in Nyamira South Sub County, the chairman cited poor roads, roadworthy vehicles and greed among traffic law enforcers as the main factors that lead to avoidable accidents along Kenyan roads.
Obwocha said Kisii-Nyamira highway was one of the worst hit roads with corrupt traffic officers neglecting their duties of enforcing the law and instead turning it into a money minting business.
“Greedy police officers along the highway are solely to blame for accidents along that section of the road. They have simply turned it into a money minting venture at the expense of enforcing traffic laws,” said Obwocha
Due to the high level of greed among traffic officers, he observed the officers rarely stopped to inspect vehicles, especially PSVs, a situation he attributed to the rampant flouting of traffic laws by motorists.
“Our traffic officers should just be brave enough and carry moneybags for the public to understand their warped objective because it is no longer secret watching them receive bribes in broad daylights. If this trend continues then we don’t need traffic officers along the Kisii-Nyamira highway road,” he added.
He asked the government to crack the whip against corrupt officials in order to reduce road carnage.
He was attending burial service of two brothers from Ramba who lost their lives in a greasy accident along Nyamira- Kisii highway last week.
Privatisation Commission Chairman Henry Obwocha addressing mourners at Ramba, where he called upon the national government to undertake major reforms in the public transport sector.