President William Ruto has received and endorsed recommendations from the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) to improve road safety in Kenya. The recommendations include mandatory defensive driving certification for public service vehicle (PSV) operators and the rollout of decentralised vehicle inspections through a public-private partnership starting July 1. He also ordered the installation of smart traffic cameras and an instant fines system in major cities within one month.
On March 2, 2026, during a morning briefing at State House in Nairobi, President William Ruto received a status report from the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) on road safety, traffic enforcement challenges, and measures to reduce fatalities. The report noted that road accidents persist despite interventions, with public service vehicle (PSV) drivers contributing to a large share of incidents over the past year.
Key recommendations include mandatory defensive driving certification for PSV operators, aimed at equipping them with skills in hazard perception, speed management, safe following distances, and fatigue awareness. Training costs range from Ksh7,000 to Ksh65,000 for courses lasting two to five days. Additional measures call for mandatory inspections of vehicles and motorcycles, digital fatigue monitoring systems such as touchographs, and formalising boda boda operations through Sacco structures.
Ruto stated, "On vehicles and drivers, the report calls for strengthening the mandatory inspection of vehicles and motorcycles and the introduction of digital fatigue monitoring systems such as touchographs." He endorsed instant fines, a demerit points system, and reclassifying minor traffic offences from criminal to administrative violations.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced the decentralised vehicle inspection programme will launch on July 1 via a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with private investors given three months to build centres across all counties. The initiative requires about Ksh12 billion and aims to reduce congestion at regional centres. Over 1,000 smart cameras for detecting violations are also slated for rollout by July 1.
Ruto directed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the ministry to install cameras in five or six major cities within one month, saying, "Rolling out cameras is not rocket science. Let us roll out the cameras in the five or six major towns within one month." He called for minimising traffic officers on roads to curb corruption, citing an Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) report estimating Ksh3 billion in monthly bribes nationwide.
The briefing adopted an inter-agency traffic justice model under NCAJ, piloted during the 2025/2026 festive season. Ruto indicated these reforms could reduce longstanding road issues by 70 percent.
