BY PETER KARANJA
Kenyan motorists who imbibe are already shaking in their boots after a member of parliament fronted a bill to re-introduce the al-co-blow on the roads.
Kenyan driver loath the breathalyzer as it denied many the careless opportunity to sit behind their wheels while under the influence of alcohol.
Videos of inebriated drivers failing the simple test of blowing into the al-co-blow gadget provided a source of entertainment for many families back at home – as they watched a cocktail of comedy starring hawk-eyed traffic officers and ‘tulevi’.
Kenyan motorists with the penchant for the good drink went the extra mile – and formed WhatsApp Group where they would warn would be offenders of roadblocks mounted by traffic officers to nab walevi flying back home at 1am.
And now, the bill, sponsored by Tiaty member of parliament Kassait Kamket wants the return of the breathalyzer to help curb runaway road accidents.
The breathalyzer was declared illegal by the Court of Appeal in 2017 – and now the Traffic Amendment Act 2021, seeks to clear the ambiguities that led to it being declared illegal – and which saw parliament directed to review the law.
The bill by Kamket idefines who is a drunk driver and why they should not be allowed to drive.
The bill reads in part: “Any person who, when driving or attempting to drive, or in charge of a motor vehicle on a road or other public place is under the influence of an alcoholic drink or a drug beyond the prescribed limits, shall be guilty of an offense.”
According to the bill, drivers found driving under the influence will be fined Ksh100,000 or spend two years or both in jail – and their licenses suspended for a year.
On the speed limit, the bill says: “A person who violates a speed limit prescribed for a road under subsection 1A by more than twenty kilometres per hour commits an offence and shall be liable, on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than three months or a fine of twenty thousand shillings or both.”
The bill could not have come at a better time given the rising numbers of accidents on the Kenyan roads.
According to data from National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), over 3000 Kenyans die every year on the roads.
Most of the accidents have been blamed on human error brought about by factors such as drunk driving.