Jenga Mkenya Movement founder and leader Reuben Kigame has asked the government to consider halting all planned trips for students across the country.
Kigame says schools should only be allowed to take their students on trips after a proper assessment has been done on the mode of transport and it is confirmed that it is safe.
In a statement to newsrooms, Thursday, the veteran gospel musician also called for proper training of drivers that handle learners, be they primary, secondary or those in universities.
“Drivers who ferry students should be properly trained regularly, vetted to ensure competence and mental stability, and must be free from drug abuse, among other measures,” the Jenga Mkenya Movement leader said in part of the statement.
He was responding to a recent incident in which six children from Mbihi Friends Girls High School died following a road accident at Delamere, Naivasha.
The latest accident came barely a month after at least 16 people died, most of who were students following a road accident where a Pwani University bus collided with a 14-seater minibus on the Nakuru-Naivasha highway.
But even as parents of the students who died due to the accidents continue to mourn their loved ones, Kigame is asking the government to consider handling expenses for victims of the accidents.
“The Government through the Ministry of Education and other education agencies should take care of the hospital bills as well as mortuary fees for the affected families,” he said.
Black spots
Further, the former presidential aspirant has asked the Ministry of Roads and Transport to consider declaring areas where the accidents happened as black spots.
He also wants speed controls to be effected immediately in the said areas along the Nakuru-Naivasha Highway.
Meanwhile, the Jenga Mkenya Movement leader has asked the Ministry of Education to come up with measures that will guarantee the safety of learners in school.
Kigame notes that recent deaths of learners caused by water and food contamination at Mukumu girls and a fire incident at Kabianga University were worrying.
“As the Jenga Mkenya Movement, we are gravely concerned about the general safety of our children in their institutions of learning,” he said in the statement.
“In this regard, we call upon all Kenyans of goodwill to join us in the fight for the rights and safety of our children. It will take our collective efforts individually and as communities to change the trajectory of this great country for the bright future of our children,” added the former presidential aspirant.
