Over the last few days, I have witnessed scenes that are sadly familiar on Kenyan roads: an accident victim lying helplessly on the tarmac, surrounded by a crowd — angry, confused, well-intentioned — but with no one actually helping.
In one incident in Kinoo, residents blocked the road after a hit-and-run accident, demanding that passing motorists take the victim to hospital. Ironically, as traffic was brought to a standstill and debris littered the road, no one attended to the injured person. The road was only reopened after an ambulance happened to arrive from the opposite direction nearly 15 minutes later.
In another incident, bodaboda riders stood over a motionless victim, while the vehicle involved had stopped a short distance away. Again, no meaningful first aid was provided.
These scenes reveal a painful truth: Kenya does not lack people at accident scenes—we lack systems.
The Golden Hour Is Being Lost
Medical science is clear that the first hour after a serious injury — the “golden hour” — often determines survival. During this time, victims need bleeding control, protection of the neck and spine, stabilization, and rapid evacuation to an appropriate health facility.
What we often see instead is paralysis: fear of blame, fear of violence from crowds, fear of legal consequences, fear of hospital bills. Drivers flee. Bystanders hesitate. Hospitals are uncertain about payment. The victim pays the price.
Fear Drives Hit-and-Run
Many drivers involved in accidents flee not out of malice, but fear—fear of mob justice, fear of being held responsible for medical decisions they are not trained to make, fear of unaffordable hospital costs. Without clear protocols, stopping to help can feel more dangerous than driving away.
This is not a moral failure. It is a policy failure.
We Already Have the Building Blocks
The encouraging news is that Kenya is not starting from zero.
Bodaboda riders, often first on scene, are already being trained in basic first aid by groups such as the Rising Star Association in the Rising Stars Boda program.
The Emergency-Kenya Foundation has developed digital tools to locate nearby ambulances, hospitals, police stations, and trained responders.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council is mapping ambulances that could be engaged for emergency evacuations.
The Social Health Authority (SHA), by law, has an Emergency and Critical Care Fund that can be strengthened to cover road traffic accident victims.
Professional bodies like the Kenya Medical Association and the Emergency Association of Kenya are positioned to coordinate training and standards for pre-hospital care.
The pieces exist. What is missing is coordination, financing clarity, and political will.
What Needs to Change
First, first responders must be trained and identifiable—bodaboda riders, police officers, traffic marshals, and community volunteers equipped with basic lifesaving skills, not advanced medical procedures.
Second, ambulances and hospitals must be clearly designated by location, so victims are not moved randomly from facility to facility. An “adopt-a-route” model—where hospitals serve as first points of care for accidents in their vicinity—could work, backed by guaranteed SHA reimbursement.
Third, drivers and bystanders must be legally protected when they offer reasonable help in good faith. Clear Good Samaritan protections should be widely communicated and enforced.
Fourth, scene control matters. Crowds should not block roads or endanger victims. A simple rule—where the first trained responder temporarily coordinates care until help arrives—could save lives.
A Call to Action
As we enter a new year, the Kenya Medical Association should convene a high-level, multi-stakeholder meeting bringing together SHA, county governments, emergency services, police, professional associations, and civil society to fully operationalize a national road traffic emergency response framework.
Road traffic injuries are not random acts of fate. They are predictable—and survivable—when systems work.
No Kenyan should die on the road because help was nearby but unorganized, because fear outweighed compassion, or because a life could not be stabilized in time.
As we travel during this festive season and beyond, let us commit not only to safer roads, but to a country where an accident victim is met with action, not chaos—and with a real chance to survive.
Dr Simon Kigondu is the President of Kenya Medical Association
This is the bitter reality, investing on The Injury Prevention and Safety Initiative (TIPSI) training for boda boda ridders and PSV drivers will be a game changer to strengthening post-crash emergency care in Kenya.