Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid at a past event. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala]
President Uhuru Kenyatta has been urged to disband the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), following his move to order its officers off the roads.Human rights lobby Haki Africa has accused NTSA of failing in its mandate of ensuring that the roads are safe.Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid said the Authority should be immediately disbanded and its mandate of ensuring sanity on the roads left to traffic police officers.Khalid said the country does not need any transport and safety body but should instead ensure traffic police officers receive their salaries on time and arrest those indulging in corruption.He said this is the only way to curb road accidents in the country.“The President’s move should be lauded but we demand more action. He should send NTSA officers home as the country does not need such an authority which only adds to the government’s expenditure,” said Khalid.The human rights defender said it was ironic for NTSA officials to point fingers at other transport stakeholders despite it being mandated to curb accidents.“We were shocked when NTSA recorded over 150 deaths in just two weeks. This should prompt the President to dissolve the authority,” he added.The President’s move to order NTSA officers off the roads was backed by Matatu Owners Association Coast regional coordinator Salim Mbarack Salim.Salim said NTSA officials were overstepping the mandate of traffic police officers in the country.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Mombasa County that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published. http://bit.ly/2BipYa6