The government, through the Ministry of Roads and Transport, has revealed plans to give all school buses across the country a new face in a bid to curb road accidents.
In a statement on Tuesday, March 19, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government has finalised drafting a policy that will guide the use of school buses in the country.
”We have finalised the drafting of the School Transport Rules aimed at better regulating and enhancing safety in the transportation of our children,’’ the CS stated.
”These regulations contain the requirement for the development and implementation of school transport operations policy safer procedures for the operation of school vehicles,’’ he added.
Under the new regulations, all school buses will feature enhanced safety features, including red light indicators, CCTV cameras, and stop arms, as practiced in other countries, such as the United States of America.
In addition, school vehicles ferrying pre-primary and primary school children will be required to have attendants who control children’s behavior while in transit to ensure their safety.
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According to the CS, the vehicles will also be fitted with technology that enables close monitoring of vehicle movements from a distance. He disclosed that the Kenya Bureau of Standards is currently determining the standard of the device.
The CS also announced that the government will introduce a mandatory requirement that those building school buses include materials and technology that will protect passengers in case of accidents.
Murkomen’s directives follow a series of accidents involving school buses that the country has witnessed in recent weeks.
The latest ones involved a Kenyatta University bus that collided with a truck in Voi on Monday, March 18, leaving at least 11 students dead and 42 others injured.
“The driver of the bus was overtaking a fleet of vehicles, and it was raining heavily,” police said, adding that the bus swerved to the right side of the road to avoid hitting the lorry, which hit one side and ripped it off, killing 10 students on the spot.
Another accident involving a school bus was reported last Saturday when a bus carrying students from Kapsabet Boys High School lost control and rolled over, resulting in the deaths of a teacher and a student.
The tragedies have raised serious concerns about road safety and the need for enhanced measures to prevent further loss of life on Kenyan roads.