1. GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY
PARTNERSHIP- 3rd AFRICA ROAD
SAFETY SEMINAR, CAPE TOWN
An overview of scholar transport policies in
Kenya: current status and future directions.
Gordon Otieno Odundo
Chief Executive
Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital

2. Presentation Content
Present an overview of school
transport policies in Kenya:
current status and future
directions

3. The country has a young population, with 73% of
residents aged below 30 years because of rapid
population growth from 2.9 million to 44 million
inhabitants over the last century. 1.5 million
children are born each year

4. Hospital Entrance

5. Centres of Excellence

6. Our Network

7. Where it started
School transport Are our children safe?

8. Why the advocacy
As a society, we have always treated
children as small versions of adults and
therefore exposed them to risks related
to crashes
Children have a limitation to size, vision,
hearing and attention which impairs
their judgment to risks and their
consequent response therefore exposing
them

9. The responsibility of guaranteeing the safety of our
children on the roads has been left to the children

10. Serious injuries suffered in a road accident can
have an impact on a child for the rest of their life
• They can affect physical and cognitive
abilities, as well as psychological wellbeing.
• The child may have to spend a significant
amount of time in hospital and require
long-term treatment as an outpatient.
• Their physical abilities after the accident
may be altered, for example if they have
sustained a spinal injury or lost limbs or
sight.
• Head injuries can result in changes to
cognitive abilities and personality

11. School transport system in Kenya has largely remained
unregulated; this has led to the school transport vehicles a
preserve of old public service vehicles and the enforcers
helpless on how to respond

13. In the events of crashes, only drivers are blamed
while school administrations could have prevented
the occurrences

14. Background Information about the
Transport Sector in Kenya:
The current legislation, Traffic Act CAP
403, does not address aspects of child
road safety
The Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2014
seeks to amend section 42 of CAP 403
Also, it seeks to insert a new section
105B of CAP 403, so as to introduce child
safety in motor vehicles

15. The proposed changes to the law are needed
urgently to protect Kenyan children from being
killed or injured on their way to and from school

16. Regulation of
school transport
system
Under the Bill, all
school vehicles must
comply with set
safety standards, as
well as being fitted
with safety
equipment suitable
for children
Vehicles
transporting
children will also be
painted yellow to
alert other road
users

17. Reduction of speed around schools

18. Vehicle Calming

19. Statutory penalties for enforcing
speed
• The Bill also sets
penalties for
drivers exceeding
the speed limits.
• These will range
from Kshs 10,000
to Kshs 25,000.

20. Timeline of Activities
The Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2014 is at the
stage of the first reading in the Kenya
National Assembly.

21. Conclusion
By Kenya enacting the new law as well as
enforcing it savings would accrue due to the
reduced cost of treatment ,less wages lost
by family members attending to injured
children ,lives saved , the reduced social
burden and thus a significant positive
impact on the economy