Global partnership brings hope amid high pedestrian road deaths in Nairobi

With pedestrians accounting for up to half of road deaths in Kenya, experts say the rapid expansion of the country's capital Nairobi's road network has failed to take into account how many journeys still begin on foot.

James Mwangi leaves his house in Kayole, a low-income neighbourhood in the east of Nairobi, at 5:47am every day, for the 20-minute walk to the bus stop.

Those 20 minutes require his full concentration – no matter how early the rise.

The walk takes him along a stretch of Kangundo Road where the pavement disappears entirely for around 400 metres, with a ditch on one side and moving traffic on the other, the ubiquitous boda boda motorbike taxis weaving in and out in both directions.

"The boda bodas come very close,” said James. “You learn to pay attention all the time. You don’t look at your phone.”

Over the four years he has been making this commute, he has developed a mental map of where on his journey he is most likely to be killed.

"I've seen three people knocked down on this road in the last two years. Sometimes when it rains you have to choose between walking in the drainage ditch or walking in traffic. We know it's dangerous, but there isn't another way to get to the [bus stop]," he added.

Locals frequently report crashes involving motorcycles and pedestrians on this road. They say they are no longer surprised when they hear about accidents – the circumstances are always the same, only the names of the victims change.

In March, a pedestrian was killed near the Mama Lucy Hospital on Kangundo Road after being struck by a vehicle – an incident which renewed calls for safer crossings and improved pedestrian infrastructure along the corridor.

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Pedestrians left behind

Around 560 people die annually on Nairobi’s roads, according to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative for Global Road Safety.

Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority reports an average of 13 deaths on the country's roads per day in 2024.

With comparable population sizes, Italy and South Korea see an average of nine and seven deaths per day, respectively.

Pedestrians account for an estimated 35 to 50 percent of road traffic deaths in Kenya, according to National Transport and Safety Authority data and WHO estimates, making them the most vulnerable road user group.

“A vehicle at urban speed can turn a crossing into a fatal encounter,” says engineer Tom Opiyo, a transport policy expert with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority. “That is why modern safety strategies focus on speed management and street design.”

While Nairobi’s road network has expanded significantly over the past two decades, with new highways and bypasses that have reduced travel times and opened up development corridors, for many people the most important part of any journey remains walking.

Many Nairobi residents rely on matatus – privately operated public minibuses – for longer journeys, but must still walk a substantial distance to reach bus stops, often due to informal settlements being located far from main transit corridors.

“In Nairobi, even public transport users are fundamentally pedestrians first and last,” says Alex Munene, an urban mobility specialist at the University of Nairobi. “Walking is not optional. It is the foundation of every trip.”

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Road safety experts say that while major investment has gone into vehicle infrastructure, pedestrian facilities have lagged behind.

“Road crashes are often described as accidents, but many are predictable outcomes of design,” says Mary Abungu, a road safety expert with the Global Road Safety Partnership. “When thousands of people walk along corridors without continuous footpaths, crossings, or traffic calming, risk is built into the system.”

She added: "The likelihood of serious injury or death increases significantly. These are not random events, they are predictable design failures.”

A survey by the International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP), a global road safety organisation that evaluates infrastructure safety and supports governments in reducing road deaths, found that 95 percent of Nairobi's roads recorded high pedestrian flows, yet only 20 percent had pedestrian footpaths.

Where footpaths exist, they are often obstructed by parked cars, informal traders, or poor maintenance, forcing pedestrians into traffic lanes.

IRAP's Africa lead Nathalie Chiavassa said: “High pedestrian volumes exist alongside infrastructure that does not protect them. Evidence shows that safe crossings and lower speeds dramatically reduce fatalities.”

Public anger and a new partnership

In January, a matatu heading for Nairobi's Central Business District collided with a boda boda rider, killing him on the spot. The driver fled on foot.

Within minutes other boda boda riders had surrounded the matatu, smashing the windows and setting fire to it. Its passengers had barely escaped.

For many locals, the incident reflected a rising anger over such accidents.

“People respond strongly because they see repeated crashes and little change,” said Kennedy Owino, a representative from the Save LIVES Kenya Coalition. “The anger is directed at a system, not just a single event.”

On 3 June, Nairobi City County Government announced it was joining the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) – a $350 million programme working with more than 30 cities around the world to reduce road deaths.

The programme has supported road safety reforms in cities including Bogotá, Colombia and Fortaleza in Brazil, where speed management measures and the redesign of high-risk roads have been linked to reductions in road fatalities.

“Nairobi is a rapidly growing city, making this collaboration timely and critical,” said Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja at the launch.

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Gladys Nyachieo, senior lecturer in urban and regional planning at the University of Nairobi, is optimistic about the possibilities offered by BIGRS. “What makes this different is institutional change,” she said. “Better data, stronger enforcement and redesigned corridors can deliver long-term impact.”

However, other experts caution that outcomes depend on long-term enforcement and sustained investment by local authorities, after international support phases out.

“International programmes can support data and technical expertise, but lasting impact depends on whether cities commit to enforcement and infrastructure changes over time,” said Winnie Mitullah of the university's Institute for Development Studies.

James Mwangi has heard about the Bloomberg partnership, and says he will believe in the results when he sees them.

“If they fix the road, I will know. You don't need anyone to tell you. You just walk it.”