Kenya’s road safety authority is seeking to implement a new form of punishment for drunk drivers in a bid to curb accidents caused by drunk-driving.
The National Transport and Safety Authority’s Director General Francis Meja is reported by local Standard newspaper to say he will seek amendments to the country’s traffic laws to have offenders work in mortuaries for hours in order to discourage them from repeating the offence.
Drunk-driving has been blamed for most road accidents in the East African country, and Meja believes the new punishment would reduce the numbers.
He said the penalties given by courts were too lenient.
“We cannot have notorious drunk drivers causing accidents yet when they appear in court the penalty is very lenient. Once we have the new policy ready then we shall ensure it becomes law,” Standard quoted him to say.
Kenya becomes the second country to come up with the proposal, after Thailand.
Thai officials at the time said that “the intensity” of morgue work would help give offenders a more explicit idea of the consequences of their actions.
