Tension flared outside the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) headquarters as protesters, led by the Road Safety Association of Kenya, demanded the immediate resignation of Director General George Njao. The demonstrators accused the agency of deep-rooted corruption, negligence, and inefficiency, which they claimed have fueled rising road accidents across the country.
According to the association’s chairperson, David Njoroge Kierie, over 1.2 million vehicles were not inspected in 2024, with an estimated Ksh7.2 billion lost in bribes linked to inspection irregularities. “It is the Kenyan people who pay for this office, and if the DG cannot perform his duties, he should step down,” Kierie declared during the protest.
The group delivered a petition seeking Njao’s removal, urging the NTSA Board of Governors to appoint an acting Director General and advertise the position by next week. They further cited statistics indicating that 60,000 lives have been lost in the past six years, blaming widespread corruption and lax enforcement of road safety regulations for the carnage.
Among their grievances was NTSA’s failure to fully operationalize the Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS), two years after its launch in March 2023. The protesters claimed that the authority lacks access to critical performance and revenue tracking reports. They also questioned why millions of smart driving licences remain unused, alleging a lack of transparency in the system’s management.
The association further criticized the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for inaction, claiming that reports from the Auditor General detailing NTSA’s irregularities have been pending for over two years.
As pressure mounts, stakeholders are now calling for a comprehensive audit of NTSA’s operations to restore accountability and public trust in Kenya’s road safety authority.
