The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has proposed declaring road accidents a national disaster following a recent spike in fatal crashes across the country.
In a statement shared on social media on Sunday, October 25, the authority said road crashes claim more than 5,000 lives annually, with approximately 20,000 incidents reported each year, destroying families, overwhelming healthcare facilities and undermining economic productivity.
“As an Authority, we propose that road traffic crashes be declared a national disaster to mobilise urgent government action, secure adequate funding and ensure coordinated enforcement,” NTSA stated.
The authority argued that the proposed classification would prompt immediate government intervention, guarantee sufficient funding for road safety initiatives and strengthen coordinated enforcement to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
NTSA added that declaring road accidents a national disaster would establish clear accountability mechanisms and measurable targets for road agencies, the National Police Service (NPS), healthcare providers and county governments.
It further emphasised that road safety goes beyond transportation, describing it as a ‘national development and security priority’ that demands a coordinated response from multiple government agencies.
The proposal follows a deadly crash at Kanga, near Mtito Andei, along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Sunday, which claimed 24 lives, with authorities, including the Kenya Red Cross, indicating that the toll could rise.
Preliminary reports indicated that the accident involved a public service vehicle and a commercial vehicle, which collided head-on. NTSA noted that improper overtaking may have contributed to the crash.
The authority said its crash investigation team was working alongside police to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, as injured passengers received medical attention.
How Kenya Declares a National Disaster
Under Kenya's constitutional and disaster management framework, an emergency may warrant national intervention when its scale overwhelms local response capabilities, resulting in mass casualties, extensive damage or significant disruption to society.
Incidents affecting several counties may require intervention from the national government, depending on their severity and the capacity of local authorities to manage them.
The National Disaster Risk Management Act, which commenced in June 2026, provides a framework for assessing disasters and determining whether they require intervention beyond county-level resources.
The National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) and the National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDRMA) play key roles in evaluating emergencies, coordinating responses and determining whether available resources are sufficient to manage a crisis.
Multi-agency teams, Cabinet Secretaries and county leaders can also submit recommendations through established disaster management structures before the national government considers a formal declaration.
Separately, Article 58 of the Constitution provides for the declaration of a state of emergency when a serious public threat exists and ordinary legal measures are inadequate to address it.
Under Article 132(4)(d), the President has the power to declare a state of emergency, subject to constitutional requirements. Parliamentary oversight applies to its continuation, with the National Assembly required to approve an extension beyond the initial 14 days.
Kenya's last major officially declared national disaster was the severe drought in September 2021, when former President Uhuru Kenyatta declared a crisis in the country's arid and semi-arid regions a national disaster.
At the time, nearly 2.5 million people were facing acute food shortages and the threat of imminent hunger, prompting calls for urgent government intervention to support affected communities.
