By OLIVER MUSEMBI
Road safety officials have called on police to investigate a suspected syndicate involved in altering registration and chassis details of vehicles involved in accidents.
The call follows revelations that a Toyota Hiace involved in a road crash near Kikopey, Nakuru County, last year, in which 16 people died, had its registration and chassis details allegedly changed and assigned to another vehicle.
The matatu initially bore registration number KCD 955B and chassis number KDH201-001. However, the chassis number was later allocated to vehicle KDX 971A, while the status of the original vehicle on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) portal remains blank.
The crash, which claimed the lives of 14 members of a family from Murang’a County, prompted safety lobby groups to question whether the matatu met required road safety standards, including the installation of roll bars designed to protect passengers during a collision.
Road Safety Association of Kenya chairman David Kiarie has asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe the alleged alteration, describing it as a serious threat to road safety and national security.
“It is a very serious security risk to change the registration numbers of a vehicle that is involved in an accident. How many more have been altered similarly and what is the motive behind it?” Kiarie asked.
He urged police to establish who was behind the alleged alteration, saying vehicle registration is a matter handled by the road safety authority.
Efforts to obtain a response from NTSA officials were unsuccessful as calls to the authority’s office lines went unanswered.
Kiarie, who was accompanied by Speed Governors and Road Safety Association Secretary-General John Mutisya, also warned that victims of accidents involving vehicles whose particulars have been altered could face difficulties securing compensation from insurers.
“Victims of such accidents are likely not to be compensated by insurance companies because the vehicle cannot be traced after alteration of its particulars. Many Kenyans will lose heavily through this racket,” Kiarie said.
He further raised concerns over the possibility that criminal networks could exploit the alteration of vehicle records for illicit activities, including the alleged harvesting and sale of human organs.
“If people can alter the registration particulars of a vehicle that was involved in a fatal accident, how do we know that the same characters are not part of a cartel making money by harvesting and selling body parts of the victims, like kidneys?” he asked.
Mutisya called for a thorough investigation, saying any NTSA insiders found to be involved should be exposed.
He also raised the possibility that criminal networks, including terrorists, could exploit altered vehicle records to conceal their activities.
“How many other vehicle details have vanished or how many unroadworthy vehicles are on the roads putting the lives of our citizens under serious threat?” Mutisya asked.
He urged President William Ruto to intervene and ensure the alleged racket is investigated and those responsible held accountable.
