Kenya experienced a shocking surge in road fatalities, with over 16 deaths in the first 72 hours of 2026, highlighting a continuous and worsening road safety crisis largely fueled by corruption and ineffective enforcement.

• Road traffic deaths have consistently hovered around 4,000 annually for the past five years, with 4,458 fatalities reported in 2025, and an estimated economic cost of Ksh. 800 billion annually (roughly 5% of Kenya's GDP).
• The Kenya Police, repeatedly ranked as the #1 most corrupt institution by Transparency International (TI) Kenya with an 84/100 score on the 2025 Kenya Bribery Index, and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) are cited as core contributors to the problem through bribery, flawed licensing, and lax enforcement.
• Fatal accidents are highly concentrated along the Northern Corridor roads and in Nairobi County, with 36% of all fatal accidents in Nairobi occurring on just 2% of its road network between 7 pm and 10 pm.