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State sets May 1 deadline for inspection of school buses

Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. (Transport Ministry)

By Eastleigh Voice Reporter | Wednesday, April 10, 2024

CS Murkomen ordered that all school vehicles carrying learners be restricted to operate between 6 am and 7 pm.

In a move to curb road accidents involving school buses, the government has directed all learning institutions to present their vehicles for inspection before May 1, 2024.

In a directive on Tuesday, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the inspection aims to reveal whether the vehicle is roadworthy or not.

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“All learning institutions are directed to present their vehicles for inspection by May 1 for assessment of their mechanical soundness,” he said.

The inspection will also reveal If the vehicles have speed limiters installed on them which are functional.

At the same time, the CS ordered that all school vehicles carrying learners be restricted to operate between 6 am and 7 pm.

Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen (centre), Interior PS Raymond Omollo and IG Japhet Koome address the media on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Photo: X/Kipchumba Murkomen)

The move comes amid a worrying trend of accidents involving learning institution vehicles since the year started, with at least four accidents involving school buses being reported.

In March, tragedy struck as 11 students lost their lives and 42 others were injured in a road accident involving a Kenyatta University bus on its way to Mombasa.

Last month, two people died after a Kapsabet Boys High School bus was involved in an accident on the Karbaret-Marigat Road in Baringo.

The bus was carrying 61 students and a teacher on their way to Marigat.

In the same month, a bus with 38 students and 10 teachers was involved in an accident at the Nithi Bridge in Tharaka Nithi.

They were returning from the Eastern Region Drama Festivals at Meru School in Meru.

Luckily no injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident.

In February, three students lost their lives in a school bus accident near Gitugi-Murang'a Town.

Proposed school transport draft regulations

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has also invited members of the public to submit their views on the proposed school transport draft regulations (2024) ahead of a public participation exercise set to kick off in Garissa County.

The draft seeks to amend sections of the Traffic Act, Cap 403 to introduce "The Traffic (School Transport) rules, 2024 that apply to all school vehicles and transportation of school children in Kenya seek to reduce road carnage by enforcing strict regulations following multiple deaths of students on the roads in recent weeks.

Amongst them is a proposal that schools apply for an annual school transport provider license for Sh2,000 and a school vehicle road license for each vehicle issued by the authority at a cost of Sh1,500.

Before getting the certificates, the vehicle must be inspected and issued with a valid inspection certificate 30 days before making the application.