For School Leaders · Road Safety

School Bus Priority: What Kenyan Schools Can Do Now

Published: 12 October 2026

The most dangerous metres of a school bus journey are often not on the highway. They are the few steps between the bus door and the gate, when a child steps into traffic that will not wait.

That worry is now on the floor of Parliament.

What Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba is asking for

On 30 September, Kenyans.co.ke reported that Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba called for school buses to be given priority on Kenyan roads, in the same spirit as ambulances, police vehicles and official convoys.

She spoke after learners visiting Parliament were delayed in traffic, and argued that Kenya’s roads are “not very forgiving” to children. In other countries, she said, a school bus is treated like a “saint bus” that other drivers give way to. Kenya still treats school buses largely like any other public service vehicle.

Her proposal is not yet law. For school directors and transport managers, the useful point is simpler: pickup and drop-off is where learners are most exposed, and it deserves the same attention as licences and inspections.

National rules are still unsettled

Schools that hoped for a clear national school-transport rulebook are still waiting. On 6 October, allAfrica reported NTSA Road Safety Director Andrew Kiplagat saying the Transport Ministry is engaging Senate leadership over three traffic regulations the Upper House annulled, including those on school transport, vehicle inspection and commercial vehicles.

In the same interview, Kiplagat said NTSA hopes to reinstate instant traffic fines around 26 November if legal challenges are resolved, alongside a wider Traffic Act review. The practical message for schools is clear: do not wait for every national rule to settle before tightening local practice. Your morning and afternoon runs continue every weekday.

Education is moving into schools too

In mid-September, CFAO Mobility Kenya and NTSA launched a school road safety education programme with the Kenya Police Traffic Department, the Kenya Scouts Association and First Step Road Safety Initiatives.

The first phase targets Nairobi schools including Upper Hill School, Bidii Primary, Utawala Academy, Highway Secondary and Ruaraka Academy. It trains Scouts leaders, teachers, Scout patrons and school transport personnel. NTSA data cited at the launch put Kenya at 4,458 road crashes in 2025, up 3.4 per cent from 4,311 in 2024, with more than 4,000 road deaths estimated each year.

That matters because transport staff are named as trainees. Safer habits can start in your own briefing room this week.

Timing: Term III and exams

According to the Ministry calendar confirmed by Education CS Julius Ogamba and reported by KBC, Term III for basic education runs until 23 October 2026. National assessments begin soon after. Congested exam-season roads and anxious parents make clear pickup and drop-off routines especially important now.

A practical checklist for school leaders

You do not need a new Act of Parliament to make the bus gate safer. Work through this with your transport lead:

• Name your high-risk spots. Walk every pickup and drop-off point with drivers. Note blind corners, busy junctions and places where matatus overtake.
• Decide who stands where. Assign an attendant or staff member to supervise alighting. Children should leave on the school side of the road whenever possible.
• Write a one-page gate protocol. Who opens the gate, who checks names, who walks younger learners in, and what happens if a parent is late.
• Back “wait, don’t rush”. Late is better than unsafe. Support drivers who refuse a risky stop or an overloaded vehicle.
• Keep parent numbers current. When a route changes, minutes matter. Test the contact list.
• Tell parents the plan. Share routes, expected times and what to do if the bus is late. Panic calls usually mean missing information.
• Check the basics every Monday. Licence, insurance, inspection, lights, brakes, tyres, seatbelts, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. Do not claim compliance with annulled national school-transport rules; stick to clear requirements and what your insurer and NTSA guidance expect of any vehicle carrying children.
• Protect exam weeks. Agree earlier departures or backup seats for candidates so traffic does not become a missed paper.

Where visibility helps

A clear protocol fails if nobody knows where the bus is. When the office can see live location and parents get pickup and drop-off alerts, a delay becomes information instead of a crisis.

That is the problem MyRide School Bus was built to solve for Nairobi schools. Parents use the MyRide Guardian app to follow the bus and receive alerts when their child gets on or off. The school dashboard keeps trip and attendance records. MyRide is registered with Kenya’s ODPC.

Book a short demo

If you want to see how this would work on your routes, book a 20-minute demo with our team. WhatsApp or call +254 726 603 609, or email schoolbus@myride.co.ke. Safer drop-offs start with clear habits at the gate. Priority on the road would help; until then, your school can still lead.

Sources

• Wamuchomba Calls for School Buses to Be Given Priority on Roads — Kenyans.co.ke, 30 Sep 2026
• NTSA Mulls Reinstating Instant Traffic Fines From November 26 — allAfrica, 6 Oct 2026
• CFAO Mobility Kenya and NTSA launch road safety education programme for schools — Business News Kenya, 14 Sep 2026
• CS Ogamba dismisses reports of changes to Term III calendar — KBC, 19 Aug 2026