The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has introduced mandatory eyesight testing for drivers in a bid to curb road fatalities linked to poor visibility, launching the phased nationwide programme in Nairobi County.
The initiative comes after the first 20 days of 2026 recorded more than 40 road accident deaths, marking an all-time high for the period.
NTSA aims to screen every driver in the country for free, with the first day seeing over 200 drivers tested in Nairobi County alone.
The authority has linked poor night visibility to most fatal accidents, particularly during long-distance travel when drivers struggle to see clearly on dark roads.
Kenya recorded 4,458 road accident fatalities in 2025, representing a 3.4 per cent increase from the 4,311 deaths reported in 2024, according to NTSA data.
Pedestrians were the most affected by road accidents last year, recording 1,685 fatalities, while motorcyclists followed with 1,148 deaths and passengers accounted for 723 lives lost.
Rear seat passengers accounted for 432 deaths, drivers recorded 403 fatalities, and pedal cyclists reported 67 deaths nationwide over the same period.
Nairobi County led in fatalities with 447 deaths, followed by Kiambu County with 387 deaths, and Nakuru County recording 318 deaths in 2025.
as the primary causes behind the rising death toll on Kenyan roads.
NTSA has been actively enforcing and reinforcing mandatory eye-testing and medical assessments for drivers, with major enforcement rounds occurring recently, particularly in June 2023.
The authority emphasised that most fatal journeys occurred at night when poor visibility, combined with other factors, created dangerous conditions for road users nationwide.
The government last enforced a nationwide ban on night travel for long-distance public service vehicles on December 31, 2017, following the Migaa crash, which claimed the lives of 31 people.
The 2017 ban mandated all PSV travel between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., though the High Court temporarily lifted it in January 2018.
The rollout of eye tests comes after NTSA introduced new regulations barring suspended drivers from joining or operating under any registered SACCO in the country.
before their licences can be reinstated under the regulations.
The free eye-testing initiative represents NTSA’s latest effort to address human factors contributing to road accidents, complementing existing safety measures and enforcement across Kenya.