Inspector General of police, Hillary Mutyambai, asserted that the alcohol levels of drunk drivers will be tested in hospitals.
According to the IG, doctors will determine the alcohol levels in drunk drivers' bloodstreams to protect police personnel from the Covid-19 pandemic and at the same time ensure that they win the cases.
The IG's strategy of curbing rising road accident cases is by introducing random drunk driving checks on the roads, particularly on highways and urban areas.
In his weekly public engagement Twitter session on Monday, Mr. Mutyambai said, "There will be random drunk-driving checks mainly because there has been a rise in the number of fatal accidents related to drunk-driving. The alcohol levels in the bloodstream will be determined by Doctors in Hospitals under strict Covid-19 rules.”
Kenyans wanted to know how authorities will handle the issue under the current Covid-19 pandemic threats.
It is not however clear who will foot the bills of being tested by doctors in hospitals. It also means if and when one is arrested he or she has to be taken to a hospital for tests, which takes longer.
Mutyambai and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director-General George Njao had last week announced a spike in accidents in the country. Sixty of the victims were apparently killed in accidents due to drunk driving between October 2 and 4.
Inspector General of police Hillary Mutyambai said this is part of efforts to ensure they win their cases and protect their personnel from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said they intend to introduce random drunk driving checks on the roads especially on highways and urban areas to address rising cases of accidents.
“There will be random drunk-driving checks mainly because there has been a rise in the number of fatal accidents related to drunk-driving. The alcohol levels in the bloodstream will be determined by Doctors in Hospitals under strict Covid-19 rules,” he said.
The police boss made the revelations on Monday during his weekly public engagement session on Twitter. Kenyans wanted to know how authorities will handle the issue under the current Covid-19 pandemic threats.
There is still the lack of clarity on the process of the arrest of drunk drivers in this regard, since it is bound to be time consuming and there is no clear explanation about who will foot the bills of the tests.
The National Transport Service Authority (NTSA) Director-general, George Njao, showed a concern last week over the increase in road accidents in the country.
According to Mr. Njao, between October 2 and, sixty of the road accident victims were involved in drunk driving. This followed the laxity in the Covid-19 pandemic rules in light of President Kenyatta announce of adjustments in the rules such as the re-opening restaurants and bars.
The NTSA and police reports show that 2,689 people died in road accidents between January and September 30, 2020 as compared to 2,655 people who died in road accidents in the same period, the previous year.
The two agencies are planning for operations on the road before the festive season to curb road accidents at a time when most Kenyans travel.
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