Road users crossing Nairobi’s busy highways outside designated footbridges are increasingly finding themselves on the wrong side of the law after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) arrested 250 pedestrians in just 10 days, saying the operation is aimed at reducing the country’s rising number of pedestrian deaths.
The enforcement exercise, which began on July 20, is being carried out jointly with the National Police Service and targets people who ignore footbridges and cross roads at undesignated points.
Under traffic laws, the offence is considered wilful obstruction of the free flow of traffic and can attract a fine of between Sh500 and Sh5,000 or lead to arrest and prosecution.
Speaking during Friday’s operation, NTSA Assistant Director Brenda Sawe said the campaign would continue until more pedestrians embraced safer road crossing habits.
“Today we’ve arrested a total of 40 pedestrians who failed to use the footbridge, and this exercise is going to continue. We started it around the 20th of July; so far, up to today we’ve arrested 250 and have been presented to court,” she said.
NTSA later updated the day’s figures, saying a total of 51 pedestrians had been arrested during Friday’s operation.
The authority says pedestrian safety remains a major concern, with nearly 38 per cent of people killed in road crashes in Kenya being pedestrians.
Although footbridges have been built along several highways to improve safety, many people still cross roads directly instead of using the designated structures. The practice remains common along roads such as Thika Superhighway, Mombasa Road and Waiyaki Way.
Even as the authority pushes for compliance, many pedestrians argue that the state of some footbridges makes them difficult or unsafe to use.
Some have been taken over by hawkers, forcing users to squeeze through narrow spaces, while others are avoided because of insecurity and fears of attacks by criminals.
The location of some crossings has also discouraged use, with pedestrians opting to cross the road instead of walking longer distances to access a footbridge.
Older people and those carrying luggage or heavy goods also face difficulties using footbridges with long staircases.
In other cases, the structures have been occupied by street families, while poor maintenance has left some with accumulated waste and foul smells, making them uncomfortable for pedestrians.
Despite those concerns, NTSA says the operation will continue as part of efforts to encourage safer behaviour among road users.
“We are hoping that at the end of this exercise, we are going to achieve changing behaviour because this is an offence that is due to behaviour.”