By Samson Ateka
AA Kenya has extolled and honoured organisations and individuals driving measurable gains in road safety at the second edition of the “AA Road Safety Excellence Awards”, with a call for corporate leaders to institutionalise proven safety practices across their operations.
Speaking at the awards gala at Nairobi’s Serena, AA Kenya Group Managing Director Francis Theuri said the event was a celebration of the coalition, making safer roads possible.
“Tonight, we celebrate the coalition making safer roads possible. The Awards recognise excellence and measurable contributions to safer roads. We celebrate verified gains in road safety, collaboration, and community impact,” Theuri said.
He noted that the awards are designed to strengthen accountability, motivate future excellence, and set standards that others can follow.
Theuri said evidence from last year’s awards has provided a clear roadmap on what works and where to scale. He cited three key pillars that delivered results: focused training, journey controls and vehicle discipline, and community partnerships to expand awareness beyond the workplace.
He urged organisations to adopt award-winning practices and make them standard across their own operations and supply chains.
On the role of technology, Theuri emphasized the use of telematics, digital inspections and journey data to anticipate risk, enhance route planning, control speed, enforce disciplined maintenance, and manage fatigue, driver fitness and first aid, with rapid response as an operational priority.
The GMD challenged boards and chief executives to take direct ownership of road safety, stating: “Assign executive ownership and approve an enterprise road-safety policy. Set non-negotiable standards across people, vehicles, journeys, and partners. Review leading indicators, corrective actions, and emergency readiness.”
Outlining AA Kenya’s learnings and next steps, Theuri said the association will translate findings from the awards into programmes, partnerships, advocacy, products, and services.
The association will also publish practical insights, verified case studies, and a common self-assessment framework to give every organisation a clear way to benchmark progress, scale what works, and act.
The strategy rests on three pillars: Prevention through building safe habits via school and community programmes; Professional competence by training and certifying drivers, riders and fleet managers; and Fleet safety by equipping public transport, school, emergency and executive fleets.
Going forward, AA Kenya will convene winners, regulators, technical experts, and partners to validate the strongest practices and the evidence behind them and publish a practical playbook for policy, training, operations, and measurement
Theuri called for concrete commitments, asking CEOs to commit to one proven practice and set a measurable target, while partners align data and incentives to support implementation.