Not Just Vehicle Inspections Safer Roads Starts with Safe roads- Samuel Sane

ROAD SAFETY BEGINS WITH SAFE ROADS, NOT JUST VEHICLE INSPECTIONS Statement by Hon. Samuel Sane Community Volunteer Leader & Kajiado West 2027 Parliamentary Aspirant I wish to make my position clear regarding the proposed inspection of private motor vehicles. I fully support efforts aimed at improving road safety. However, road safety is a shared responsibility between the Government and road users. While motorists are expected to maintain roadworthy vehicles, the Government must also ensure that our roads are safe and well maintained. Recently, I personally volunteered to seal dangerous potholes in Kiserian to protect motorists and pedestrians. This should have been done by the responsible government agencies. I have also repeatedly raised concerns with KENHA over the dangerous state of Kiserian Hill, Kandisi Hill near Maxwell Adventist, Chairman Hill, Chairlady Hill after Olepolos Country Club, and the entire Magadi Road corridor onwards. These sections have remained hazardous for far too long and have contributed to numerous road crashes and loss of lives. Despite repeated concerns and promises, lasting action has yet to be taken. The poor state of these roads has also resulted in long queues of motor vehicles at garages in Kiserian requiring unplanned repairs such as suspension work, tyre replacements, wheel alignments, and other mechanical repairs caused or worsened by damaged road surfaces. This places an unnecessary financial burden on motorists and businesses. It is therefore unfair to impose additional inspection requirements on private vehicle owners while many roads remain in poor condition. Equally worrying is the fact that many Public Service Vehicles and commercial vehicles that appear unroadworthy are already operating on our roads despite having undergone inspection. This raises important questions about the effectiveness, consistency, and integrity of the current inspection system. Vehicle maintenance is a continuous responsibility. A vehicle inspected today can develop a fault tomorrow. Road safety depends on regular maintenance by vehicle owners, effective law enforcement, and proper road infrastructure—not simply a once-a-year inspection. If the Government intends to introduce mandatory inspections for private vehicles older than four years, the process must be transparent, affordable, free from corruption, and accompanied by serious investment in road maintenance and repairs. My call to the Government is straightforward: Repair our roads, eliminate corruption in vehicle inspections, strengthen enforcement against genuinely unroadworthy vehicles, and engage Kenyans through meaningful public participation before introducing policies that increase the cost of living. Road safety begins with safe roads. Let the Government first address dangerous road infrastructure while ensuring vehicle inspections are fair, credible, and focused on saving lives rather than creating unnecessary burdens on motorists. Hon. Samuel Sane Community Volunteer Leader Kajiado West 2027 Parliamentary Aspirant