Government Orders Mandatory Inspection Of All School Buses

The government has directed all learning institutions to present their vehicles for inspection by May 1, 2024.

In a joint inter-ministerial statement on Tuesday, April 9 night, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the inspection will assess whether the vehicles are road-worthy and have functional speed limiters.

“As public engagements on the Draft Traffic (School Transport) Rules 2024 advance, all learning institutions are required to present their vehicles for inspection by 1st May 2024 to assess their mechanical soundness and whether speed limiters installed on them are functional,” read the statement in part.

The Transport CS also ordered all school vehicles carrying children to be restricted to operate between 6 am and 7 pm.

At the same time, Murkomen directed all institutions and companies to present their vehicles for compliance checks with the relevant speed limiter vendors within 14 days failure to which their licenses would be invalidated.

He also suspended the issuance of short-term PSV licenses by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) until the authority completes a review of all routes issued to PSV operators.

The directives come after a surge in road accidents that have claimed a number of lives.

In March a Kenyatta University bus was involved in an accident in Voi on its way to Mombasa leaving 11 students dead and 42 others injured.

Kapsabet Boys High School bus was also involved in an accident along the Karbaret-Marigat Road in Baringo County last month leaving one student and one teacher dead.

The injured students have been rushed to Kabarnet and Marigat Mission hospitals, and Baringo County Referral Hospital.