Long distance truck drivers’ national secretary general Nicholas Mbugua addresses the press along Nairobi - Mombasa Highway at Mlolongo in Machakos County on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 (Photo/Maugo Owiti)
Long distance truck drivers’ national secretary general Nicholas Mbugua has lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta for removing NTSA officials from the roads.
Mbugua said the President made right decision since the National Transport Safety Authority officers were focused on enriching themselves instead of effectively executing their mandate on the roads.
“I congratulate the President for removing NTSA officers on our roads, they were harassing motorists including truck drivers as they forcibly collected bribes,” said Mbugua.
He addressed the press along Nairobi – Mombasa Highway at Mlolongo town in Machakos County on Wednesday.
Mbugua blamed the increased road carnages across the country on the transport regulatory body, NTSA.
“NTSA officers were major causes of road accidents, truck drivers sped off whenever they were stopped by the officers to avoid dishing out hefty bribes which most of them could not afford,” said Mbugua.
He said the officers demanded from the truck drivers between Sh 5,000 to Sh20,000 whenever they arrested them for any traffic offences.
Mbugua said those who never complied were arraigned in courts.
“Majority of truck drivers were running away from NTSA officials to evade arrests for fear of being arraigned in courts since they could not afford their bribe demands, this in some cases resulted to road accidents,” said Mbugua.
He said NTSA officials never appeared in courts after drivers were arraigned.
“Police officers are trained on traffic issues, NTSA officials have no skills and experiences in dealing with traffic across Kenyan roads,” added Mbugua.
He admitted truck drivers contribute to high numbers of accidents on the road though criticized NTSA for not making any credible interventions to avert the situation apart from collecting bribes.
“What is NTSA doing to address claims that truck drivers are major causes of accidents? Why haven’t they consulted us to find out problems which truck drivers go through while on our roads?,” questioned Mbugua.
“I understand the NTSA officials will be deployed to matatu terminus and bus stages, they will still collect bribes,” said Mbugua.
He said all the NTSA officers who were on the roads should be sacked.
Mbugua said Labor Ministry should regulate drivers’ salaries.
“Those drivers they claim cause accidents operate under difficult situations, they are overworked hence experience fatigue. The drivers operate the trucks single-handedly, they are the turn boys, mechanics and watchmen of the vehicles the drive hence overworked,” said Mbugua.
He said the government should bring all transport stakeholders on board so as to arrange the transport sector in a bid of finding lasting solutions to road carnage.