People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has called for immediate, enforceable safety measures for women in Kenya’s public transport systems.
Speaking at the Women Transport Africa Conference 2025 (#WTAConference2025) in Nairobi, Karua stressed that violations must carry real-time consequences and that the criminal justice system must operate transparently.
“Safety of women and commuters in transportation is non-negotiable! The safety policies in place must be enforced and consequences of violations must be real-time. Our criminal justice system has a responsibility to report on judicial outcomes to reassure stakeholders and deter would-be violators,” she declared during her keynote address.
Karua highlighted that Kenya’s transport systems often overlook women’s specific needs. She urged government officials and sector leaders to redesign mobility systems to reflect women’s lived experiences, challenges, and aspirations. Her comments, shared during the #16DaysOfActivism, reinforce the call for safety, dignity, and equality in every journey women undertake.
She also pointed out a significant gap between existing safety policies and their implementation. Karua noted that public announcements of arrests without follow-up measures fail to protect commuters effectively. She emphasized that reporting judicial outcomes is crucial to building public trust and deterring future offenses.
Martha Karua stressed that genuine national interest requires accountable leadership, not slogans.
“True national interest is not served by silence or slogans. It is served by accountable governance and action! Leaders must listen to the lived realities of women and the challenges they face in order to act accordingly. I offer leadership that listens and has the courage to act,” she said.
The Women Transport Africa Conference, held from December 3-5, 2025, at the Aspire Centre in Westlands, Nairobi, brought together stakeholders from across the continent to discuss inclusivity and safety in Africa’s transport sector.
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