By Patrick Chiriba
The National Police Service (NPS) has introduced the breathalyser test on the Nairobi Expressway to reduce drunk driving and improve safety of road users.
The move, together with the addition of traffic officers, is part of the implementation of traffic safety measures on the busy road by the NPS.
This comes after recent accidents involving deadly collisions on the expressway were blamed on speeding and reckless driving.
In a statement, NPS said the breathalyser test would be used to identify drunk driving drivers and that any drunk driver would be arrested and arraigned in court.
“We have alcoblow on the expressway, and we are going to use it for people who tend to take alcohol and contravene the law by driving under influence,” read part of the statement.
Since the government forbade public service cars from operating on the route, the breathalyser test will mainly affect private car drivers on the highway.
If you are caught driving while intoxicated on an expressway, you could face a fine of up to Sh100,000, a two-year prison sentence, or both, according to the Amended Traffic Bill.
This is the first time breathalyser will be used on the Nairobi Expressway since its reintroduction on Kenyan roads in July 2022.