SPEECH by Mr Benson K Githinji Commandant Traffic Department

SPEECH BY THE COMMANDANT TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT MR. BENSON K. GITHINJI, EBS, DCP. DURING THE 2^ND CONSULTATIVE FORUM ON WASTE MANAGEMENT AT KICC. LENANA HALL. NAIROBI.

Distinguished Guest and Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of the Traffic Department, I wish to extend our gratitude to the Government, The Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of The Prime Minister, National Environment Management Authority and The Clean Kenya Campaign for this gesture of friendship.

We open today a crucial event on the way towards a Cleaner Kenya. The topic of the Forum is of primary concern to the daily life of Nairobi residents, as it is for most urban dwellers around the world. 

I am pleased to attend and participate in this 2^nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management today. This forum I hope will form part of plans to implement in the City of Nairobi and other major urban centers, in order to alleviate the problem of traffic congestion and waste management. Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles,  streetcars  and  other conveyances, either singly or together. While using the public way for purposes of travel, traffic laws should be observed by road users as Traffic Police enforce the laws which govern traffic and regulate vehicles.

Today, reducing waste is everyone’s responsibility. If we can take responsibility and action, our cities can be places where life is led with dignity, safety, happiness and hope. Kenya Police Traffic Department has well established traffic control, which typically produces a better combination of travel safety and efficiency though faced with challenges attributed to human attitude, an issue that we collectively need to address through partnerships and engagement with transport sector and interested agencies and stakeholders.

Events which disrupt the flow and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include: road construction, collisions and debris in the roadway. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may persist in a phenomenon known as traffic waves. A complete breakdown of organization may result in traffic jams and gridlock.

In some places in our cities traffic volume is consistently, extremely large, either during periods of time referred to as rush hour or perpetually. Exceptionally, traffic upstream of an accident or an obstruction may also be constrained, resulting in a traffic jam. Such dynamics in relation to traffic congestion is known as traffic flow. 

Some of the measures that the government through the line ministry has undertaken to address this manace are ongoing or have been completed and they include, widening of Highways and expansion of Thika Road to accommodate the increased traffic. Other measures include construction of inter-changes and overpasses to streamline traffic flow and construction of the Nairobi Eastern and Northern bypasses to channel transit traffic away from the city centre.

The construction of the Nairobi Western Ring roads will further diversify traffic flow away from the main highway thus reducing congestion in the Central Business District. I want to commend the Ministry of Roads and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority for working hard to ensure that the project is implemented.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we seek to manage this environmental issue that is now a manace, it is important to note that some cases of traffic jams are simply caused by impatient drivers who show little or no courtesy at all. I want to urge all road users and particularly motorists to observe basic principles so as to make Kenyan roads safer for all of us. I also will continue to be alert and firm in dealing with those who endanger the lives  and destroy the properties through reckless driving.

Driving on the cabs of the Road to avoid traffic jams are offences my officers will deal with very firmly. The Government is spending a lot of financial resources to build roads all over Kenya, and any single tear to the Road Cab starts a process of tear and wear for the road. Again, such drivers who overlap, drive over trees that have been planted by the various Councils. This is not acceptable, and my officers will deal firmly with this.

There is need to draft a strategy and its approval by the line ministry is important milestones towards a traffic friendly environment. The Forum we open today has as its first objective to improve and expand the strategy to fully include other actors and residents in as far as traffic control and management is concerned. The Forum also aims at indicating the way forward towards implementation of the strategy.

It is therefore a key moment towards a Clean Kenya, where we measure the task ahead and develop realistic ways of tackling the huge demand for road usage  expressed by the City Residents and business.

Before I conclude my remarks, I wish to point out that as we engage in our country’s most ambitious initiative of cleaning Kenya, the Traffic Police will be key partners in this environmental program. Let us be conscious of our environment, and that is why I am here today in my capacity to help mitigate this manace.

Finally, I thank all our Partners for supporting us in our efforts in my Department as we endeavour to attain the targets under VISION 2030.

I wish this forum a frank and fruitful discussion around these issues and the capacity and drive to bring about a clear and realistic way forward.

Thank you and God bless you all.