By CHARLES WANYORO charlwanyoro@yahoo.co.uk
Posted Thursday, August 25 2011 at 22:30
Posted Thursday, August 25 2011 at 22:30
Boda boda operators are to blame for most road accidents in the country.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Thursday said most operators were not well trained to handle the motorbikes.
“Motorbikes are a big cause of accidents. Most of our people are buying them and after only learning how to balance themselves, go out and start ferrying passengers,” he said.
Mr Odinga at the same time warned corrupt traffic police officers that their days were numbered.
Speaking at Our Lady of Mercy Girls Secondary School in Nithi constituency during a requiem Mass for 10 accident victims, the PM said such officers were enriching themselves at the expense of the lives of Kenyans.
“Traffic police should stop taking bribes from road users. The government is paying you well and you have no reason to do that. We have traffic laws that need to be observed. Police who take bribe should be arrested. It is a shame that we have been talking the same thing over and over,” he said.
Area MP Kareke Mbiuki and his Tharaka counterpart Mburi Muiru asked the government to be more strict with the traffic police.
They said the accident in which the 10 died would have been avoided if traffic officers manning a road block had intercepted the 14-seater matatu, which was carrying 16 extra passengers.
“If there was serious enforcement of the law, the driver wouldn’t even dare. If the driver knew there are serious traffic police, he wouldn’t have dared to drive past the road block,” said Mr Mbiuki.
The MP promised to pay hospital bills for those who were injured.
He also pledged Sh1 million towards the Mitheru accident victims.
The government, he said, would tarmac the 14-kilometre Chuka-Kathwana road and provide more funds for irrigation.
Declared arid area
And speaking at Kajuki Catholic Church during the requiem Mass for the Fr Joseph Kaigamba, Mr Odinga declared Igamba Ng’ombe a an arid area and directed Special Programmes permanent secretary Andrew Mondo to gazette it and start relief food distribution in the area.
On politics, Mr Odinga said he was working with Meru MPs in readiness for the 2012 General Election.
Mr Mbiuki, who is also an assistant Agriculture minister, described Mr Odinga as an astute leader worth supporting. He is an ally of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
The PM urged Kenyans to shun tribal politics and asked Meru residents to support his presidential bid in 2012 since President Kibaki would be retiring.“We have seen you are a man of the people. You have come to visit us during difficult times and have made the government presence felt in Nithi. Tribal politics has been passed by time. We are one country, one people,” he said.
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