Increased cases of accidents across the country are among the reasons why the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will be administering eye tests to all drivers of public service vehicles in the country.
Alarmed by recklessness and outright disregard of traffic rules, NTSA believes fresh eye tests could help tame the surging number of road carnage that is claiming lives of Kenyans.
The authority has started free mandatory eye tests for all drivers in Nairobi, following a sharp rise in road accidents this year.
In just the first 20 days of 2026, more than 40 people have died on Kenyan roads, one of the highest numbers ever recorded for that period.
The campaign
NTSA officials say poor vision among drivers is a contributing factor to the increasing accident rate.
Speaking at the launch, NTSA stated that the initiative is aimed at ensuring all drivers meet the minimum vision standards required for safe driving.
Drivers found with impaired vision will be advised to seek corrective measures before being allowed to operate vehicles on public roads.
“This programme is part of our broader road safety strategy. Safe driving begins with the driver’s ability to see clearly. By identifying and correcting vision issues, we hope to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries,” NTSA stated.
The authority has prioritized Nairobi due to its high traffic volume and accident rates but plans to roll out the initiative nationwide in the coming months.
All drivers, including professional and private vehicle operators, are encouraged to participate in the free eye tests at designated NTSA centers.
NTSA also reminded the public that compliance with road safety regulations, including vehicle maintenance and driver fitness, is mandatory and critical to reducing accidents.
The move comes amid growing calls from road safety advocates and insurance firms to address human factors contributing to accidents, particularly driver health and alertness.
Kenya has endured a devastating start to 2026 on its highways, with a series of severe road accidents claiming dozens of lives in just a few short weeks.
From the notorious black spots of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway to multiple deadly collisions in other counties, the country’s road safety crisis, long a source of national concern, has re‑emerged with stark intensity.
The tragic multi‑vehicle collision near Gilgil and Kikopey on January 19 once again underscored the wide‑ranging and persistent causes behind these crashes- speeding, mechanical failures, reckless driving, and unsafe road conditions.
Startling statistics
Detailed police tallies from the first week of January suggested that at least 31 Kenyans had perished in road accidents nationwide by January 6, following a series of separate collisions in places like Kericho, Baringo, and elsewhere, as well as pedestrian and motorcycle crashes.
Putting together the confirmed data from national news reports and police statements shows that there have been 16 deaths in separate road crashes in the first 72 hours of 2026, on various highways.
At least 31 total fatalities reported by police nationwide in the first six days of January (inclusive of crashes in multiple counties).
Taken conservatively and accounting for possible overlapping counts between aggregated fatality summaries and individual incidents, the officially documented toll from these major events alone reaches well over 40 deaths within just the first three weeks of 2026.
