Revealed: Over 3,300 lost lives in accidents within 9 months

By Peter Ochieng

The National Police Service (NPS) on Tuesday shared data concerning the number of people who have lost lives through road accidents this year.

According to the data, 3,369 people lost their lives in road accidents between January and September 16, 2024.

Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli, said the number is too high, urging members of the public to adhere to traffic rules regulations, in a bid to prevent further loss of life.

“We have seen an increase in road traffic accidents across the country,’ said the acting police IG. He appealed to the public to prioritise road safety and ensure compliance with all traffic rules to curb the escalating fatalities.

Of the total fatalities, 1,281 were pedestrians, followed by 825 motorcyclists, 654 passengers, and 281 drivers.

The data also reveals that a total of 16,979 people were affected by road accidents in the first nine months of 2024. Compared to a similar period in 2023, the number of road fatalities seem to be on the upward trajectory.

3,151 people died in traffic accidents, from January to September 16, 2023. From January to December, 2023, at least 22,885 people were involved in road accidents last year, according to figures by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

4,324 died while several were left mostly with life-threatening or changing injuries. “At least 10,769 people were seriously injured and 7,792 were slightly injured,” NTSA said, then.

The number signified an increase of 1,127 compared to 2022 where 21,758 people were involved in road crashes. 4,690 died, 9,933 got seriously injured while 7,135 were slightly injured.

The NTSA report said pedestrians remain the most vulnerable road users with 1,591 of them dying in 2023 compared to 1,682 in 2022.

The boda boda sector lost 1,133 operators, compared to 1,255 in 2022, while the number of passengers who died in 2023 was 739, a decrease from 823 in 2022.