According to World Health Organization, road accidents in Kenya claim between 3000 to 13,000 people annually, making road crashes the biggest cause of deaths among Kenyans surpassing malaria, HIV, or even TB.
And though the country has put up strict laws to reduce the menace, it’s with little hope as drivers and the public point fingers at each other even blaming traffic police officers for corruption.
Kijicho Interactive Ltd, a company of four led by NikoHapa‘s Benard Adongo, as Project Manager, have therefore launched Kijicho, an app that seeks to deal with inadequate policing and unchecked impunity on Kenyan roads – factors that are major contributors to the road crashes.
“By making it easy and fun to report, Kijicho hopes to significantly improve road safety,” Adongo told TechMoran. “The mobile service enables commuters to chat with each other, reach public service vehicle (PSV) operators, and traffic authorities concerned anywhere and at any time. Partner bus companies and matatu Saccos are equipped to respond and act immediately.”
According to Adongo, the free to download Android app enables passengers to rate PSVs, communicate with the PSV operator, and easily report life-threatening situations to the authorities. Users can also use the chat feature to strike conversations with fellow passengers on the same bus, thus making it an engaging channel and exciting to use.
“Kijicho not only draws passengers to build a clean, courteous, safe and comfortable transport atmosphere, it also empowers everyone to participate in discourses that may ultimately save their own lives,” Adongo added.
At the moment, Kijicho PSV partners have have posters with their bus registration number inside for passengers to use to start a conversation. The PSV crew can also use the same app to respond to passengers on all their buses. Their is an SMS version for those who have no Android-powered phones.
Registered in May 2013, the application won the 2013 British-Council run CultureShift Hackathon in Nairobi.
