Kenya has told the United Nations that road traffic crashes continue to pose one of the country's biggest public health and development challenges, claiming between 4,000 and 5,000 lives every year while costing the economy an estimated five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The message was delivered by National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director-General Eng. Nashon Kondiwa during the 2026 High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Improving Global Road Safety held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
In Kenya's national statement, Kondiwa said the country continued to record unacceptably high numbers of road traffic fatalities despite ongoing efforts to improve safety.
"Road safety remains one of Kenya's foremost public health and development challenges. Over the last five years, Kenya has continued to record approximately 4,000 to 5,000 road fatalities annually, with more than 20,000 people injured. We recognize that the burden of road traffic injuries remains unacceptably high," he said.
The statement noted that pedestrians and motorcyclists remain the most vulnerable road users, accounting for the majority of fatalities on Kenyan roads.
According to the government, road crashes are no longer viewed solely as a transport issue but also as a major economic and social development challenge due to the loss of lives, healthcare costs, property damage, emergency response expenses and long-term disability.
"Kenya estimates that road traffic crashes cost the economy 5% of GDP annually, through lost productivity, healthcare costs, emergency response, property damage and long-term disability," the statement said.
To tackle the challenge, Kenya said it had adopted a Safe System Approach anchored on three pillars—engineering, enforcement and education.
Under the engineering pillar, the government said it is investing in safer road infrastructure, including non-motorised transport facilities, road safety audits, safer school zones and the adoption of international road safety assessment standards.
On enforcement, the country said it is strengthening compliance through technology-driven traffic management, improved regulation of drivers and vehicles, and the modernisation of driver licensing, vehicle inspection and digital enforcement systems.
"We are strengthening evidence-based enforcement through technology-enabled traffic management, improved driver and vehicle regulation, and enhanced compliance monitoring," the statement said.
The government also highlighted education as a key component of its strategy, saying nationwide road safety campaigns have been intensified to target schools, public transport operators, employers, communities and vulnerable road users.
It added that road safety education is being integrated into learning institutions to encourage behavioural change among all road users.
Kenya further said implementation of the National Road Safety Action Plan, aligned with the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, remains central to its efforts.
The country welcomed the adoption of the Progress Declaration at the high-level meeting, describing it as an important milestone in global road safety cooperation.
Reaffirming Kenya's commitment, Kondiwa called for stronger international partnerships to reduce road deaths and injuries.
"Kenya remains fully committed to delivering safer roads through stronger partnerships, smarter technologies, safer infrastructure, effective enforcement and sustained public education," he said.
"Together, through shared commitment and global cooperation, we can save lives, protect livelihoods and build safer, more sustainable transport systems for the present and future generations."