International development organisation, Transaid, has presented its current work on motorcycle safety in Kenya with the National Helmet Wearing Coalition, to the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, hosted in New Delhi, India, by the George Institute for Global Health and the World Health Organization.
Transaid Programmes Support Manager, Jason Finch, was invited to attend the multi-day event, contributing to discussions on road safety and making his own presentation.
Finch says: “In Kenya, a robust helmet standard already exists, but enforcement of the policy and access to quality helmets are lacking. We’ve taken an approach to fixing this by recognising that real, lasting change requires buy-in from stakeholders across numerous sectors, including ones that may not be initially obvious.
“The situation in Kenya is not unique, and there are a lot of potential takeaways. Our hope is that the platform we had in Delhi will prove key to emerging regional discussions about the rise in two-wheelers, and the appropriate response in terms of helmet safety, especially in the context of motorcycle taxi riders and their passengers.”
Transaid was initially selected by the FIA Foundation to establish a National Helmet Wearing Coalition in Kenya in 2021, before securing an extension to its work in 2023. Earlier this year it secured funding for a third phase from the FIA Foundation, which will run over an 18-month period.
The first two phases saw the establishment of the Coalition, to collectively advocate for action to address motorcycle safety in Kenya through developing a series of approaches to improve enforcement and raise awareness amongst riders. As a coalition, and with the FIA Foundation’s support, Transaid released A Fare Price, a report detailing the health costs of motorcycle taxi crashes in Kenya. Phase three aims to introduce a helmet testing laboratory in partnership with the Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), while continuing to build upon the advocacy and enforcement previously developed, as well as initiating dialogue regionally to expand efforts to improve motorcycle safety in East Africa.
The project is wide-ranging in its approach, engaging with government, police, hospitals, private sector, transport associations and communities across the country to develop solutions to make Kenyan roads safer.
In addition to road safety, the event in New Delhi covered a wide variety of topics including drowning, falls, global surgery and trauma, child injuries, violence, disability and rehabilitation, bringing together a variety of experts in safety and injury prevention.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Maddy Matheson at Transaid: +44 (0)20 7387 8136 / maddy@transaid.org
Natalie Ganshert or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR: +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to natalie.ganshert@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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