Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday, July 4, announced that all public service vehicles and school buses will be required to have a dashboard camera installed on the windscreen and rear screen.
According to CS Murkomen, all matatus, school buses and heavy commercial vehicles must also be equipped with vehicle telematics. This technology transmits real-time data on a vehicle's location and speed. Murkomen announced that the telematics will be linked to the National Transport Safety Authority for monitoring.
However, Murkomen indicated that the new mandatory requirements will only be implemented after parliament gives approval.
Due to the significance of this development, Kenyans.co.ke, in this informational article, sees the need to break down the costs of installing a dashboard camera on a vehicle before the government starts implementing the directive.
Dashboard Camera
The dashboard camera works by recording a video whenever a car is in motion. They are normally mounted on a vehicle's windscreen, while others are installed on the rear side.
By recording continuously, the dash cam captures footage of any incident or unexpected situation, such as reckless driving, an accident, or a traffic stop. Essentially, they help to gather evidence which helps motorists in case of any traffic mishap or theft.
Most dashboard cameras store the captured footage on SSD cards, while advanced ones use WiFi to direct the data to other linked devices or a phone.
Costs and Fixing
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, a Syokimau-based technician in Machakos County specialising in German-made vehicles, noted that most dashboard cameras range between Ksh10,000 to Ksh50,000.
The technician indicated that motorists choose which dashcams to buy depending on the wider field of view of the front-facing camera.
"The price varies; some cost as low as Ksh10,000 while others cost Ksh50,000. It depends on how much a motorist is willing to spend and the quality of the camera," he stated.
"An ideal dashcam is the one with a wider field of view. That helps motorists to record all incidents, including approaching cars from the side or any unexpected activity," he added.
Miller Kyalo, a car dealer and expert, weighed on the topic, indicating that most modern matatus have dashboard cameras which monitor passengers boarding and the PSV while in motion.
According to Kyalo, most dashboard cameras can easily be hand fixed. Other merchants fix them for free as an after-sales service.
While announcing plans to compel motorists to acquire dashboard cameras, Murkomen indicated that the entire exercise would cost Ksh30,000.
Telematics
Kyalo told Kenyans.co.ke that telematics technology operates like a black box used in aeroplanes. Integrating the technology to work with the cameras will cost motorists roughly Ksh5,000.
"Telematics is also a good technology which will help NTSA and other enforcement officers retrieve data that will help establish how an accident occurred. That will specifically help enforcers determine whether a driver was speeding or flouted traffic rules before a crash," Kyalo told Kenyans.co.ke.
In total, Kyalo maintained that drivers will require Ksh25,000 to fix dashboard cameras fitted with telematics technology.
He, however, faulted some aspects of the directive arguing that matatus and commercial vehicles have speed limiters that record and share data in real-time. He called on the Transport CS to establish the real problem and then involve stakeholders to develop a new policy to reduce road accident cases in the country.
The government had earlier announced plans to introduce an Intelligent Road Safety Management System. NTSA told operators that the new system will be able to monitor speeding and rogue drivers who tamper with speed governors. The data will be mined from speed limiters and then shared in real-time with matatu owners and the authority for action to be taken.
“Unlike before, under this system, each operator or Sacco will have their own platform, for instance, those operating Kikuyu will have their details captured in the system including assigned drivers,” NTSA announced.
