Road Carnage in Africa

Hot Topic Road slashs (Carnage) in Kenya. How organizations crowd go forth contribute to address this imminent homophile and Economic crisis. Table of contents 1. launching to route mishaps in Kenya2 2. The main issues with bridle-path shots5 3. Other foot s aged(prenominal)ier issues7 4. The effect of street accidents to businesses and the preservation 8 5. Prep atomic number 18 to manage driveway safe ch every in on the wholeenges in an presidential term 10 6. Dealing with ethical and ratified issues 13 7. Future implications if issue is non addressed 15 8. Bibliography17 1. IntroductionLast twelvemonth, 1 day before Christmas day, the Kenya trans military fulfill police direct by the Police Commissioner, Mr Mathew Iteere launched yet an another(prenominal) National Road preventive Campaign aimed at curbing course accidents during the holidays and cutting the holiday stop consonant street accidents rate by 50% from the tradition high of 200-300 accidents that chance during that period from 24 December to 5 January (Daily Nation, 24th December 2009). In his Christmas message, The Police Commissioner regretted that most avenue accidents in Kenya slew be avoided (even eliminated). He observe that street accidents argon mainly ca lend oneself-importanced by slapdashness (human mistake and poor judgement) y road users. He singled out over-speeding, over-loading, none use of the prophylactic belts and disregard of the Highway Code as the most mistreated transaction rules at present. In his widely televised message, he issued a warning to c atomic number 18less drivers and directs the profession police (blue boys) to act on those that abuse the concern rules. such(prenominal) a road natural rubber crackdown is not new in the 46-twelvemonth old post- independence Kenya. But those actions should be streng accordinglyed and be made into morsel practices that see a longer epochframe enabling one to instal the a salient de al take ined sustain king.Its a widely existn fact externalizeetary that road accidents court huge amount of money let totally the lost human resources especially to the makeing and un essential economies (WHO & World affirm report, 2004). The combined human and sparing personify is simply not agreeable to poor countries that want to boost the standard of living of their majority population with very scarce resources. According to a recent report make jointly by the World savings bank and the World health government activity (WHO) on road traffic smirch prevention, road accident statistics are quickly becoming the orbiculate catastrophe as shown on a lower floor. 1. 2 gazillion People are estimated to snap globally from each one year on our roads. Thats around 3,000 deaths daily of which 500 of them are children. ? 50 trillion masses are estimates to be scandalised globally on road injuries each year, 15 million seriously. ? Developing countries account for more than that 85% of the global death toll from road traffic crashes or accidents. ? The global financial make up of road traffic injuries is about 518 meg USD each year (about 2-4% of GDP). Such is cost is equivalent to 50% of the GDP of Africa the absolute (Kenya Statistics, 2004). For males aged 15-44, road traffic injuries rank second ( subsequentlywards human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS) as the leading cause of premature death and ill health worldwide. ? By 2020, unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries especially developing countries (WHO and World pious platitude report, 2004). Clearly, it is as difficult to accurately de boundaryine the economic burden of Africas road traffic accidents, as it is to collate accident data in the first place. There are the problems of under-reporting to contend with, as well as unlike countries adopting different criteria e. . defining a road traffic accident sine qua non (Odero & Heda, 2003). virtually countries define a fatality as one occurring on the scene, others for periods of 24 hours, three days or 30 days after the event (Bamburi Cement, 2009). Today road accidents are Africas third biggest killer, after Malaria and HIV/AIDS (WHO & World Bank, 2004) Africas roads are the most dangerous in the world, but with a growing awareness of the true cost of road accidents, initiatives are underway to dramatically amend their rubber eraser.Road traffic accidents are known to be a major cause of death and dis powerfulness doneout the developing world, but nowhere is the problem as piercing as sub-Saharan Africa. Bad roads, aged vehicles and lax regulations are all considered major contributing factors to Africas road fatality and accident numbers, themselves three multiplication as coarse as the continents share of motor vehicles. Its this across the verdant critical issue that we want to study and propose urgent relegateing actio ns for arrangings as well as non-governmental organisations operating in Kenya. . The main issues with road accidents in Kenya The tonality issues with the road accidents and road injuries in Kenya are not new. For our literature recap, Kenya has had a long history of road sentry duty initiatives that assimilate not lived to deliver the much needed breakthrough results. In 1979 a National Road Safety project was initiated and implemented with funding from the Finnish government, though some results scum bag be seen 30 years later (Kenya Roads Board, 2009). Kenya looses about 3,000 persons every year through road accidents yearlyly. around 13,000 people are injured of which 6,000 are seriously injured and need long bound medical exam treatment (Saidi & Kahoro, 2001). Most of the people who die on road accidents are vulnerable road users. These include uninterestings, cyclists and motorcyclists (Kenya Police, Traffic division). The majority of most of the people losing thei r lives are the young people, young graduates who stick out the much needed skills and human resources base the earth and organisations are in dire need of.A common question not asked is why educate and train a professional for over 16 years, thus lose him / her on the road just before he can be useful to the country or a business organisation. First, after a critical review on all road golosh initiatives in Kenya, we find 3 main issues that we believe loosely develop the poor road pencil eraser record for the past 20-30 years. 1. What to do we know what to do, but we have trouble implementing it 2. Implementation the challenge with implementation is collect to lack of capacity at 4 main levels Inadequate Human resources Inadequate Financial resources Lack of knowledge Lack of political bequeath 3. Collaboration Is it then possible to build a Private frequent Sector Partnership Program (PPSPP) which will implement road preventive measures that can make a difference to the rural area and make Kenyan roads a safer place for our children and the future generation? scraply, the economic cost to the country is thence very significant (WHO & World Bank, 2004). As noted earlier, the average cost of the road accidents and resulting injuries is about 2-4% of GDP per annum.In 2009, the IMF assessed the Kenya thriftiness GDP to be about 30 billion USD, a 2% cost per annum will translate to 600 million USD (estimated about 50 billion Kenya Shillings in one single year). Its not doubt that such colossal amount of wasted expenditure only comes second to the annual recurrent expenditure allotd in the annual budget to Education and Health budgets (Ministry of Finance, 2008). Such a burden has huge implication on the ability of the economy to meet its needs from meagre resources that are available for solid ground building.Thirdly, we have a public sector that does not see road transport and accidents as a key issue as long as it does not affect them or their families. This perspective does undermine all tangible progress in road safety initiatives as its manufactured no sense of ownership on role as a general public (Kenya Police, Traffic de split upment). 3. Other issues on road accidents in Kenya While the main issues have been addressed under section (3) above, the other issues that must be addressed include the following ? Lack of a give-up the ghost policy on road transport (review of the old traffic act is now mandatory).A clear policy will create guidelines to administer and manage the road safety roadmap. ? Poor enforcement of existing traffic rules particularly by the enforcement officers, mainly the traffic police. ? Rampant corruption within the traffic department. Corruption is perhaps the single largest bottleneck to enforcing the traffic rules and does in a way create an impunity culture for PSV drivers on our roads today (Transparency International, Kenya chapter, 2008). ? Lack of a clear ownership between the p ublic sector and the private sector on the framework to deal with road carnage. A guideline which included an approved curriculum on training and licencing of all types of drivers. ? How to develop an axis to mobilise the public to take care and nourish their lives and those of other road users. 4. The effect of road accidents to organisations Our research shows that road accidents do not respect any business entities, indeed their implications transverse all business organisations. Both private and public origins face the full blustering of road carnage in different ways as shown below ? Loss of critical human resources and talents in organisationsThe primary age radical heavily impacted by the road accidents are the young people between the ages of 15 44. This is usually the young professional age assembly that provides the much needed human resources in organisations. Road accidents take off the much needed source of talent as well as the future leaders in organisations (WH O & World Bank, 2004). ? Higher direct cost of doing business in the country Loss of lives through accidents results in increase business costs, organisations face both short term and long term treatment and medical expenses.The severe injuries require more long term medical costs that result in increased medical premiums and medical costs for an organisation. On the other hand, the lost man-hours cannot easily be remunerated especially in the case of a fully trained, qualified and nice staff member. ? Higher indirect cost of doing business compared to other countries In modern day settings, injuries to family members created more demand for employees, particularly if an employees proportional suffers injuries after an accident. Such strain impacts on employees morale and ability to dedicate all his abilities to get his / her work done.In addition, accidents results in increases cost of road transport (through higher(prenominal) insurance premiums, higher fuel outlay and delays due to traffic congestion after accidents). The business partner problematic in an accident has increased cost of losing an plus, which in most cases is indirectly passed onto the organisations. For government organisations e. g. public health hospitals (Kenyatta National Hospital), higher accident victims results in higher operating expenses which have to be funded by the central government through increase of taxes on an annual basis. Unpredictable business mean Businesses rely on predictable business environment to last out bankable and continue with their operations (Kumar & Subramanian, 2000, p. 1). Road accidents hinder the predictability of the business environment through delayed delivery timeliness and increased turn-around time for organisations. In nearly all cases, these additional costs must be paid for in full by the organisations in question, resulting to lost productivity, efficiency and profitability. 5. How can organisations better manage the road safety chal lengeWhen we talked to a number of organisations in Nairobi, we notice how heavily they have invested in state of art bail and alarm systems to protect their assets (money, machines, organisational inscriptions, policies, trademarks and patents etcetera), but few if any have developed even a simple structure to safeguard the safety of their employees spell on the road. Its important to also include human resources as a critical resource for the organisation. A great proportion of companies have not developed sound plans to safeguard their most important asset (human resources), especially when they are on the road travelling while on the Job.While road safety from the office to work is largely seen as an issue for the employee to manage, its paramount that organisations and their management teams provide a clear framework to provide their employees with a road safety roadmap that will lift their vigilance while on the road to and from work. People are the superlative asset an o rganisation can have today. Good employees are a source of competitive advantage for an organisation (Samson & Daft, 2009). A glimpse of the few organisations that have designed an effective road safety program in Kenya today especially, petroleum companies (e. g.Total Kenya and Bamburi Cement) highlights about 5 step action plan to set an effective road safety roadmap. Each organisation needs a clear roadmap which if well implemented and incorporated in the organisation systems, will lead to improvement of safety in most of our roads today and safe companies lost man hours, sick leave, absenteeism and higher medical bills. 1. Collect data At the beginning, the organisation should assess its particularised road safety context by collecting road accident statistics (road fatalities, lost time injuries, medical injuries, and first-aid injuries) and define what is measurable.The data collected should then be analysed into critical information to aid in decision making. Second the orga nisation should define a road safety policy with clear milestones and key objectives to be monitored on a monthly basis. A symmetric and consistent monitoring mechanism should be designed by the organisation, to review its progress of its road safety objective. 2. Develop a road safety plan A road safety roadmap is a mandatory document for any organisation committed to ending the carnage on our roads today.The roadmap should be a well neat and elaborate plan of action on what the organisation wants to do in improving its road safety commitment and objectives. These action plans must address the challenges on policy, enforcement, ownership, and training and self renewal priorities for the organisation. 3. Resource the road safety plan A plan is ineffective without key resources being allocated to it. The organisation should identify and sufficiently allocate two main types of resources (1) Financial resources and (2) Human resources (competent and well trained resources. . depute u rgent interventions A key lever for a road safety action plan is to address current major gaps with immediacy to build legitimacy in the roadmap. The key areas that require immediate intervention are on- ? Speed ? Impaired black market ? Seat belts ? Helmets ? Road affair ? Defensive driving training ? Emergency preparedness 5. Collaborate with others ultimately the organisation should plan to share its best practices with other institutions as a way to benchmark performance and renew its practices both on local, regional and international levels.With increased collaboration and partnership with the public sector, with a share vision, the challenge of the road accidents and injuries will be addressed head-on by all stakeholders hence creating a sustainable avenue to address this great challenge facing organisations in the 21st century. 6. Ethical and Legal Issues The key challenges towards realising an effective road safety program in any organisation is how candid data collect ed or observed will be shared across the organisations so that corrective actions (that may include sanctioning) can be applied.Most of the major changes in safety awareness remain with our culture (way of doing things here) or on changing individual behaviour and taking a personal commitment to protecting other people lives. Some of the common ethical dilemmas that managers face include the following ? raft i report the Chief Executive, Senior Managers or a friendly dude who i noted did not adhere to the companys guidelines e. g. driving while speaking on mobile phone on the road? Will this affect my career or my relationship with my supervisor? scum bag staff be required to use the Alco-blow to detect the influence of alcoholic beverage (though this is not yet reasonedised in Kenya)? ? Can staff carry out safety initiatives away from the office e. g. monitor staff travelling for a weekend to upcountry and are not wearing seat belts? ? Can we terminate an employee who does not comply with the organisations code of conduct on safety? ? Should i disclose an accident or should i bribe the traffic policeman to be left scot-free. A reported accident my injure my career opportunities and limit subsequent promotion changes in future.On the legal side, the main challenge clay how to deal with corruption (so called white lies) both within and outside the organisation. ? Internally, this may not be a great issue as staff can be directly pass in the line with staff standing instructions and their employment contract. ? However, outwardly the issue with corruption (rather falsification of accident information so as not be appear guilty) is a major setback for enforcing a successful road safety roadmap. According to Transparency International, the police department has year after year been rated as the most corrupt institution in Kenya.Can they be relied upon to book violation of a driver, pedestrian or other road user fairly and equitably? This remains a key compo nent that requires constant collaboration and use of other tools e. g. global positioning systems (GPS) to address rampant cases of cheating on the part of employees (Transparency International, Kenya chapter report, 2008). 7. Conclusion In conclusion, there is no doubt that road accidents results in huge human and economic cost to our relatively poor country (WHO & World Bank, 2004).The lives that are lost on our roads every year are critical to achieve the economic objectives of the country and organisations as well. likewise the country has to save money to be spent towards treating road injury victims rather than providing such much needed funds to other areas of economic growth e. g. to fund projects like free primary education (FPE), improve our road network (build and repair our roads) and provide the much needed medical facilities in public hospitals (equip public hospital better).As a country we cannot afford to lose 2% of annual GDP (about KShs 50 billion) on road acciden ts, related injuries and long term medical treatment to accident victims. If accidents can be avoided, these resources can be allocated to other critical areas of the economy and organisations can be able to improve their productivity and become more responsible citizens. The medium term impact on the economy is indeed catastrophic and as a country we will not be able to meet our vision 2030 to becoming an industrialised nation.Its time for all Kenya, young and old to participate to improve their safety standards in our roads and make Kenya a safer country for our children future. As a nation we owe this to the future generations of this country. As noted by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation in 2004, unless action is taken, by the year 2020, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries (developing countries). Our country will not be spared if it does not take immediate and more radical actions to manage the road safety is sue.At todays road accident frequency rate, road accidents will become the second largest cause of death after Malaria in Kenya by the year 2020 and surpass HIV/AIDS as the 2nd largest killer (WHO & World Bank, 2004). This is confirms our recommendation that as a country we are sitting on a time bomb. Today is the time for you and me to develop our solid action plan, put these actions into practice and contribute towards improving the safety in our roads. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. WHO & World Bank. (2004). World report on road traffic injuries prevention. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http//www. ho. in/violence-injury-prevention. html 2. The Kenya Roads Board. Road accident statistics (2009). Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http//www. krb. go. ke. html 3. Bamburi Cement limited. Road safety campaign Epuka Ajali (2009). Accessed on 31 December 2009 from http//www. bamburicement. co. ke. html 4. Kenya Police. Traffic department. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http//www. kenyapolice. go. ke. html 5. Kenya Statistics. (2004. ) Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http//www. unicef. org/infobycountry/kenya-statistics. html 6. Odero, W. K. & Heda, P. M. (2003).Road traffic injuries in Kenya, magnitude, causes and status of intervention. Inj Control saf promotion, Mar-June 10 (1-2). Pg 53-61 7. Saidi, H. S. & Kahoro, P. (2001). Experience with road traffic accidents violations at the Nairobi Hospital. East Africa Medical Journal, 78 (8). Pg 41-44 8. Samson, D & Daft, R. D. (2009). Fundamentals of Management. tertiary Asia Pacific Ed. Pg 170-206. 9. Kumar, K. & Subramanian, R. (1998). Navigating the External Environment. SAM Advanced management journal. Retrieved December 14, 2009 from HighBeam enquiry http//www. highbeam. com/doc/1P1-5377780. html