The Director General of the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) Silas Kinoti has backed the new Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport and Public Works Kipchumba Murkomen to succeed in the docket he inherits from the outgoing CS James Macharia.
The former Elgeyo Marakwet senator is expected to drive the Infrastructural agenda of President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government and Kinoti, the vastly experienced engineer believes Murkomen will perform well during this regime.
“Murkomen is my friend and I know he means well for the most vibrant transport sector which he has always been extremely passionate about even during his stint at the Senate. He is destined to succeed going by what he has highlighted to focus on in a bid to continue enhancing mobility and boost trade hence raising the economic standards in the country,” he said.
Kinoti who has been at the helm of the roads agency since 2015 supported Murkomen’s plans to work with various agencies to set up a camera-backed e-police system in an initiative set to be used to collect fines from traffic offences.
During Parliamentary vetting, Murkomen who is also an advocate of the high court stated that the monies collected from violators of traffic regulations could be used to supplement the various infrastructure projects by the government.
“We will deploy the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and therefore have no need for the analogue way of dealing with discipline on our roads,” noted Murkomen.
Earlier this year, Kinoti rooted for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tame traffic snarl-ups, especially in major cities like Kenya’s capital Nairobi where rapid urbanisation has meant there’s been massive growth in the number of vehicles on roads.
“We want to deploy the Transport Integrated Management System. If we deploy that technology, we don’t need to do the analogue way because Bird’s eye view tech aims to unlock Nairobi traffic jams. Construction of many roads is a milestone yes but not a solution to nerve-racking snarl-ups” he affirmed.
Urban areas experience a lot of vehicular congestion and traffic jams leading to losses of millions of dollars every day through wasted time, environmental pollution, and increased stress.
Traffic management plays a crucial role in tackling many societal problems. It’s been effective in making driving safer, reducing pollution, increasing walkability, and helping governments update existing infrastructure.
Other causes of Nairobi’s congestion and traffic jam are double parking, illegal bus stages, and personal cars being used as public service vehicles.
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