President William Ruto has directed the rapid implementation of “painful to pay” fines as part of a robust strategy to tackle the growing number of road accidents in Kenya. The announcement was made while receiving a report from the National Council on the Administration of Justice on road safety at State House, Nairobi.
President Ruto emphasized the urgent need for interventions that will significantly reduce the loss of life and injuries caused by traffic incidents. “Instant fines will help reduce the number of traffic offences and ensure that offenders are brought to book,” he said.
Highlighting systemic challenges, the President pointed out that corruption has undermined enforcement, with many drivers opting to pay bribes rather than legitimate fines due to slow legal processes. “We must make it much more painful to pay the bribe and much easier to pay the legal fine,” Ruto stated.
To strengthen enforcement, the President ordered Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to deploy CCTV and speed cameras nationwide within one month. “The cameras will provide foolproof evidence about the offence. We have the law, we have the cameras. Let’s roll them out,” he said.
The urgency of these measures is underscored by Kenya’s alarming road safety statistics. In 2025, the country recorded 5,009 fatalities, up from 4,748 in 2024 an increase of 261 deaths. President Ruto noted that road accidents cost the Kenyan economy roughly 5% of GDP, translating to approximately Ksh. 450 billion annually.
He also proposed that certain traffic offences be addressed through administrative measures to streamline legal action and reduce the burden on courts. Chief Justice Martha Koome supported this approach, recommending coordinated adjudication linking the Judiciary, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the National Police Service (NPS), the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and Kenya Prisons.
President Ruto concluded that road safety requires a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach” to prevent further loss of life. “We cannot, and we will not, accept the continued loss of Kenyan lives on our roads. The government is fully committed to ensuring that the recommendations arising from this pilot are implemented decisively and without undue delay.”
