Nderitu death a wake-up call for safety of disabled
The mangled wheelchair which Christopher Nderitu was riding when he was killed by three speeding vehicles at Karundas along Chaka-Sagana Road.
What you need to know:
- It is crucial to have our roads developed on the principles of universal design and in a way that promotes safe accessibility for PWDs.
- The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) will work with all relevant shareholders to ensure our roads are safe for PWDs.
Christopher Nderitu, a person with disability (PWD), was on his wheelchair when he was hit and killed by three speeding vehicles that were said to have been overtaking at a speed bump near his home in Karundas, Nyeri County.
Nderitu, 44, had a whole life ahead of him. Having bounced back from an accident a decade ago that rendered him unable to walk, he owned an electronics shop outside his home.
Nderitu’s case is a stark reminder of the need to promote road safety for all road users. For a long time, the call to match the needs of non-motorised road users and development has grown louder. This is, in part, due to the design and construction of infrastructural projects that prioritise motorists.
Non-motorised road users, including pedestrians and wheelchair users, are left in a Russian roulette scenario, always on the lookout lest they get knocked down by a speeding driver or a negligent one driving on a pavement to beat the traffic.
National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) data shows one in every three people killed in road crashes in Kenya is a pedestrian, with 1,108 of them among the 3,114 deaths as at October 31 last year.
The road safety needs for pedestrians and wheelchair users are similar though not entirely the same. For example, the person who was with Nderitu at the time of the crash managed to jump out of the way of the oncoming car. Sadly, not so for Nderitu.
Safer roads for PWDs
In a study in five countries, including Kenya, Humanity and Inclusion, an organisation that supports persons living with disabilities and other vulnerable populations, found that “people with disabilities usually struggle to get to their local stop and onto buses, particularly with wheelchairs”.
Many streets in our urban areas have crowded pavements and boda-bodas that bullet from nowhere, making it very difficult for people on wheelchairs to move about. They end up wheeling on the main road, risking getting crushed by vehicles.
It is crucial to have our roads developed on the principles of universal design and in a way that promotes safe accessibility for PWDs. The Nairobi Metropolitan Services has done a commendable job upgrading pavements in the city centre for pedestrian and bicycle use that are also safe and spacious for wheelchair users. This needs to be extended.
The 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is part of Kenya’s law, requires members to take measures to provide PWDs access on equal basis with others to areas such as physical environment and transportation. This call is repeated in the Sustainable Development Goal s (No. 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities).
KNBS figures show there are about a million Kenyans with disabilities with mobility the largest form of disability. The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) will work with all relevant shareholders to ensure our roads are safe for PWDs.
Mr Harun, a paraplegic due to a road traffic accident, is the executive director of NCPWD. [email protected] @Harunassan
