Trans Nzoia: Probox Driver Arrested For Bundling 13 Students Into Car Boot

• A Toyota Probox driver is in police custody awaiting arraignment after being arrested for overloading his small car with students
• The driver was intercepted by officers from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) along the Kitale-Kapenguria Highway
• The NTSA said its officers mobilised alternative means for the students to arrive at their destinations safely

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kitale: A Toyota Probox driver is being held for ferrying students inside his small vehicle.

Thirteen learners had been bundled inside the small car's boot when the officers from the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) signalled it to stop.

How NTSA went after Probox driver

The officers were undertaking checks on the Kitale-Kapenguria Highway on Tuesday, May 14, when they intercepted the Probox.

They seized the vehicle and apprehended the driver, as they mobilised alternative means for the students to travel to their destinations.

"Vehicle found ferrying 13 students impounded along Kitale-Kapenguria Road. The driver has been arrested and will be charged," the NTSA said.

The NTSA, in conjunction with the National Police Service (NPS), has been conducting checks on major roads to enforce traffic compliance as students return to school.

A multi-agency team from the two agencies nabbed motorists found to be flouting the rules.

Learning in schools resumed for the second term on Monday, May 13.

School reopening in Kenya

School re-opening was a resolution made by President William Ruto following counsel from the Meteorological Department and other stakeholders.

Ruto said the weatherman had confirmed that the heavy rains would subside in the coming days, adding that weather experts had concluded that it was safe for the learners to return to class.

On May 3, the president indefinitely suspended the reopening of the schools across the country as a precaution against the flooding disaster.

The date for the reopening had been set for Monday, April 29, but was pushed to May 6 and later, May 13.

Ruto directed MPs to allocate more National Government Constituencies Development Funds (NG-CDF) to help schools reconstruct after being ravaged by the floodwaters.

Earlier, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had revealed that the Exchequer would allocate KSh 4 billion to tackle the crises caused by flooding, including rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and installations.

Gachagua noted that the heavy torrential downpours had affected over 200,000 households in the country.

Government data indicated that as of Friday, May 10, the number of people killed by flooding and other impacts of the heavy rains had risen to over 250.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke