Kenya’s Budget and Appropriations Committee has considered a legislative proposal to establish an independent body responsible for investigating transport accidents and incidents across the country’s road, rail, aviation and maritime sectors.
The Committee reviewed the proposed Kenya Transportation Safety Board Bill, 2026, on 6 August as part of its scrutiny of the Bill’s financial implications. The meeting was chaired by Committee Vice Chairperson Hon. Robert Pukose, with the legislative proposal sponsored by Hon. John Kiragu Chege.
Under the proposed legislation, the Kenya Transportation Safety Board would operate as an independent agency mandated to investigate transport-related accidents and incidents, identify their causes and make safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.
The proposed Board would consolidate accident investigation functions currently spread across several agencies, including the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Maritime Authority and other transport regulators.
Presenting the proposal to the Committee, Kiragu said Kenya’s record of recurring transport accidents demonstrated the need for a professional and independent body focused specifically on accident investigation rather than enforcement.
He argued that investigations needed to examine transport safety more comprehensively, taking into account factors including infrastructure and road design, vehicle safety and human behaviour. Despite the establishment of the NTSA, he noted that road fatalities continued to increase and said an investigative body should be responsible for establishing the facts surrounding accidents and making recommendations intended to prevent recurrence.
Committee member Hon. Ruth Odinga supported the proposal, pointing to the number of lives being lost on Kenya’s roads and raising the question of how the proposed Board would contribute to reducing accidents and improving transport safety.
Hon. Jane Kagiri also raised concerns over the outcome of previous investigations into major accidents. She said several investigations had failed to produce conclusive findings on which the public could rely and argued that Kenya needed an investigative institution capable of establishing greater confidence in the process.
While supporting the proposal, Hon. Adan Keynan cautioned against establishing another institution with responsibilities that could overlap with those of existing transport agencies. He called for engagement with relevant stakeholders and a review of existing transport legislation to ensure the proposed Board did not create jurisdictional conflicts or duplicate existing mandates.
Responding to these concerns, Kiragu said the proposed Board would operate as an independent investigative body, similar to structures operating in countries including the United States and Singapore. Its role would be to investigate accidents and make recommendations, while the agencies responsible for enforcement and prosecution would act on the findings.
Committee members agreed that broader stakeholder engagement would be required before the Bill proceeds through Parliament, with particular attention to ensuring that the proposed reforms complement rather than duplicate Kenya’s existing transport safety structures.
