Police arrest 96 drunk drivers during Friday night alcoblow operation
The operation was conducted on major roads in the city until the early hours of Saturday morning.
Ninety-six motorists were arrested for drink-driving in Nairobi on Friday night, Police County Commander Adamson Bungei has revealed.
Of the 96, 33 were completely drunk, the police boss said, adding that the operation would continue to tame drink-driving accidents.
Police arrested at least 96 motorists in a crackdown on drunk drivers in Nairobi on Friday night.
The crackdown, a multi-agency initiative that brought together officers from the police and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), began as early as 7pm along major routes in the city.
Confirming the operation to the Nation, Nairobi Police Commander Adamson Bungei said the crackdown was a measure to curb incidents of reckless driving by drunk drivers from Friday after work hours.
"This crackdown will continue for some time every Friday and Saturday night, but mostly on Fridays. Many motorists tend to consume alcohol as soon as they sign off from work on Friday, causing a lot of problems and accidents on the roads," said the Nairobi police boss.
He revealed that a total of 96 drivers had been arrested for drunk driving, adding that 33 of those arrested were overly drunk and still behind the wheel.
"This is a menace that we want to deal with firmly. We want a sober nation and we need to restore sanity on the roads to save many lives," said Mr Bungei.
The operation was conducted on major roads in the city until the early hours of Saturday morning.
In November last year, a report by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) revealed that most fatal road accidents in Kenya occur between Friday and Sunday.
The NTSA attributed the trend to drunk driving, fatigue, speeding on major highways, reduced enforcement during these periods, poor lighting at pedestrian crossings and major highways, and pedestrians crossing roads in unsafe places.
The crackdown comes almost three months after NTSA reported that 1,072 people died in road accidents between January and March.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new NTSA leadership, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kiochumba Murkomen said although the figures were lower than the 1,159 recorded in 2022, they still painted a bleak picture of the state of road safety in the country.
The CS also issued stringent measures to the NTSA to not only reduce road accidents but also address the rampant cases of road carnage.
These strict measures included drivers avoiding the use of mobile phones while driving, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and driving without or carrying passengers who are not wearing seat belts.
"I urge passengers to obey the traffic rules by stopping at green lights and avoiding crossing the road in undesignated and unsafe areas," he said.
Those found drunk driving risk a fine not exceeding Sh100,000 or a jail term of not more than two years or both.
