Road Traffic to improve public trust

The Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) is one of the government institutions that the public patronises on a daily basis and has sometimes been blamed for one reason or another. In this interview with our Staff Writer MICHAEL MMEYA, the newly-appointed head of the directorate CHRISTOPHER KUYERA explores his vision for restoring public trust, improving service delivery, and building a more professional, technology-driven road traffic management system for the benefit of all Malawians. What key reforms have you prioritised to improve efficiency and public trust?

One of my key priorities has been expanding access to services provided by the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) so that more Malawians can access them conveniently. We have secured premises to open new DRTSS offices in Mzimba, Salima, Kasungu. This will reduce the need for citizens to travel long distances for our services.

Another priority is the planned construction of a DRTSS office park in Area 54 in LIlongwe, which will serve as a centralised service and operational hub. In addition, we have intensified the use of mobile MalTIS services, where teams travel to rural areas with portable equipment to provide services on-site. The Directorate has often faced accusations of corruption.

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What concrete steps are you taking to address these perceptions? What is being done to improve turnaround time of your services that people have complained about? To address delays, the Directorate is improving the reliability and efficiency of the MalTIS system, which supports many of our services.

As already said, we are also expanding the number of DRTSS offices to reduce congestion at existing service points. Coordination between headquarters and regional offices is also being strengthened to speed up processing. Road accidents remain a major concern in Malawi.

What are the main causes based on your data? Our accident data shows that most road crashes in Malawi are caused by human behaviour. Key factors include excessive speeding, dangerous overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol, driver fatigue, and failure to observe traffic rules.

The use of unroadworthy vehicles and poor compliance with safety standards also contribute to accidents. Addressing these issues requires stronger enforcement, public education, and improved driver discipline. What strategies is the Directorate implementing to reduce road fatalities?

How do you plan to strengthen enforcement against drunk driving, speeding, and unroadworthy vehicles? The Directorate has intensified enforcement operations across the country in collaboration with the Malawi Police Service. To support these efforts, we have procured additional breathalysers to strengthen enforcement against drunk-driving and speed cameras to improve speed monitoring.

These technologies allow us to detect violations more effectively and encourage compliance with safety requirements. At the same time, enforcement operations are being intensified to remove unroadworthy vehicles from the roads and ensure that drivers comply with traffic regulations. How are you rebuilding confidence in the Directorate?

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