Retraining of Long Distance and Matatu Drivers in Kenya by NTSA Kicks off

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) last year launched a new curriculum to train and test drivers which will vary between 24 and 160 hours depending on the category of the license. The curriculum is being offered in 12 government institutions nationwide in areas like Baringo, Meru, Nyeri and Nairobi.

With the recent rise in road carnage NTSA is seeking to train 11,000 matatu and long-distance night drivers afresh in the next three months.

NTSA Deputy Director in charge of Safety Strategies and County Co-ordination, Dr. Duncan Kibogong said; “The biggest contributor to road traffic crashes in the country remain the driver. As a strategy to reduce the numbers of crashes in the country, the Government has resolved to have drivers trained through the new curriculum,” during the launch of the program at the Kabete Technical Training Institute of some 102 drivers.

NTSA believes the greatest contributor of road fatalities is still motorists. The training is one of its strategies meant to curb road carnage in the country.

Drivers who participate in this training will incur a cost of Ksh 1000 for the three days it’s supposed to run for.

“The training itself is divided into two; we have theory and practical sections. This standardization is as per the international best practice to ensure we have standard training and testing,” he said. Depending on the class of vehicle a respective driver is training for it will affect the content and time of their session. After completion of the course drivers will be issued with a certificate to pave way for a smart driving license which will not be given to those who have not taken the refresher course.

Dr. Kibogong also said; “We are also checking the driver’s medical assessment. Different medical conditions predisposes drivers to different challenges as they drive and some challenges if they become so gross that they cannot be corrected, as a regulator, we advise that you cannot be licensed.”

Some of the things expected to be trained under the curriculum will include vehicle construction and controls, self-inspection of vehicles, vehicle control, and communication on the road, space management, adverse driving conditions, emergency protocols and customer care.