Drivers under the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) have come out strongly against the government’s decision to reintroduce alcoblow checks on major highways.
They say the move is not only ill-advised but also dangerously flawed and likely to cause more problems than it solves.
Their criticism follows an announcement by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, who said that alcoblows would be making a comeback starting from the Easter holiday period as a way of tackling the increasing number of road accidents happening across the country.
However, in a detailed official statement, the association of motorists accused the CS of rushing the implementation of this plan without first addressing the problems that made the alcoblow system ineffective and controversial in the past.
They believe this approach is likely to repeat the same mistakes that had led to its suspension before.
According to the motorists, the decision to bring back the alcoblows appears more like a reaction to public pressure and an attempt at positive publicity rather than a carefully thought-out strategy for improving road safety.
They pointed out that traffic officers in the past had misused the alcoblow tool, turning it into a means of harassing drivers instead of protecting them.
“The device was initially meant to prevent drunk driving and improve road safety, but unfortunately, some officers have turned it into a money-making tool.
It has become more about extortion and collecting fines than actually saving lives,” the motorists said.
They further argued that this approach doesn’t even achieve its intended purpose. They explained that drivers who are seriously drunk, including notorious PSV (Public Service Vehicle) drivers, often use social media groups to get alerts and avoid alcoblow checkpoints by using different routes.
On the other hand, regular drivers—most of whom are not actually intoxicated—end up being caught in these checks, which the motorists say unfairly criminalises moderate and responsible alcohol consumption.
The association now wants the Ministry of Transport to fix the issues that were flagged in a previous court ruling, which led to the suspension of the alcoblow program due to widespread abuse and misuse.
The drivers are proposing a better and more scientific approach to handling drunk driving. Instead of relying on fixed roadblocks, they are calling for mobile patrols where trained police officers can observe driver behavior and only conduct tests when they have reasonable suspicion of intoxication.
They also want clear and transparent procedures to be followed during testing.
This includes confirming results through proper medical tests like Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and urine analysis before any legal action is taken against a driver.
To help end corruption and protect the rights of road users, the motorists are demanding strict oversight and transparency in how the program is managed.
They also want the focus to be shifted from punishing innocent drivers to targeting repeat offenders, reckless public transport operators, and those who pose real danger on the roads.
In summary, the Motorists Association of Kenya believes that the reintroduction of alcoblows, in its current form, is poorly planned and risks becoming another failed project unless the government adopts a more responsible, fair, and data-driven strategy.
Join Our Political Forum official 2025 WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
