Young learners waving handmade traffic signs, reciting poems about pedestrian safety and demonstrating the correct way to cross a busy road may not look like the country’s newest road safety advocates. Yet that is precisely what the Kenya Red Cross Society hopes to showcase when it hosts the VIA Road Safety National Competition 2026 in Nairobi this week.
The competition, scheduled for Thursday, July 30, will bring together pupils from eight schools across Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado and Nakuru for a day of innovation, creativity and practical demonstrations aimed at making Kenyan roads safer for children.
More than a contest, organisers describe the event as the culmination of months of learning under the VIA Road Safety Project, which has equipped learners with the knowledge and confidence to become ambassadors for safe road use in their schools and communities.
The winning school will receive a €5,000 grand prize, but organisers say the greatest achievement will be inspiring children to make safer decisions every day they walk to and from school.
Road traffic injuries remain among the leading causes of death and disability for children and young people worldwide. In Kenya, many learners continue to face risks from speeding vehicles, unsafe crossings and limited road safety awareness during their daily commute. Those realities have made school road safety an increasingly urgent national conversation.
Learning by doing, not just listening
Rather than teaching road safety through classroom lessons alone, the project encourages learners to experience it first-hand.
Over the past several months, participating schools have organised practical road safety exercises, student-led campaigns and creative activities that encourage children to think critically about the dangers they encounter on the road.
The national finals will feature road safety demonstrations, drama, spoken word performances, songs, public speaking, artwork exhibitions, knowledge challenges and digital presentations highlighting ideas developed by the learners themselves.
A total of 160 learners, with 20 students representing each participating school, will compete before judges drawn from government institutions, development partners and the education sector.
The competition is expected to demonstrate how practical learning can shape children’s understanding of road safety. Through hands-on activities and creative expression, learners have been encouraged to identify hazards in their communities and become advocates for safer roads in their schools and neighbourhoods.
Children becoming road safety ambassadors
The Kenya Red Cross Society says participating schools have spent months identifying road safety challenges around their schools while working with teachers, parents and community leaders to develop practical solutions. The project also encourages students to share what they have learned with classmates, family members and neighbours, extending its impact beyond the classroom.
Organisers hope that by placing children at the centre of the conversation, safer road use will become part of everyday life rather than an occasional classroom lesson.
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