NTSA ISSUES SAFETY CHECKLIST AS SCHOOLS REOPEN

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued a strict safety checklist to all drivers and conductors of school transport vehicles as learners resume classes this week.
Under the Operation Watoto Wafike Salama campaign, NTSA directed that all vehicles must be roadworthy, inspected, and fully compliant with regulations, including valid inspection certificates, Road Service Licenses, and insurance.
The checklist further requires speed limiters to be functional and linked to NTSA’s Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS). Vehicles must also have properly working brakes, tyres, lights, and mirrors, while drivers and conductors are expected to hold valid licenses and PSV badges.
The authority emphasized that all children must be securely seated with seatbelts, with no overcrowding or dangerous behavior such as hanging out of moving vehicles. Operators have also been instructed to report cases of pupils suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
To support compliance, NTSA announced free nationwide vehicle inspection clinics to be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. In Kisii County, the exercise will take place a day earlier, on Friday, August 22, at Cardinal Otunga High School, Mosocho.
Inspection centers will be set up in major towns including Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Machakos, Nyeri, Kitale, Meru, Embu, Thika, Garissa, and Kericho, among others.
The crackdown follows earlier safety checks that revealed widespread lapses, including faulty speed limiters, missing seat belts, corroded chassis, and defective braking and steering systems. NTSA noted that over 315,000 public service and commercial vehicles were found operating without valid inspection certificates.
Parents have been urged to ensure their children only use safe and compliant transport, while vehicle owners have been warned against operating unroadworthy vehicles.