By Antony Gitonga
Naivasha, Kenya: Traffic Commandant Samuel Kimaru is now blaming the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and a company manning the Gilgil weighbridge for frequent traffic jams.
This came as motorists were stranded for over 12 hours on a section of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway following a major traffic snarl-up at the weighbridge. The jam, as a result of scores of trailers forced motorists, including senior government officers to spend the night by roadsides.
While visiting the weighbridge, Kimaru accused the SGS Company for the mess which had resulted to the snarl-up that stretched over 10 km on both sides. He called for introduction of a new machine at the weighbridge to address the problem which occurs every weekend.
“Drivers are also to blame for failing to give way and overlapping, worsening a bad problem and this lasted all night,” he said.
Kimaru defended his officers, saying they were overwhelmed by rain pounding the area. “The problem is KRA and SGS officers who are too slow in weighing and checking transit documents for these trucks,” he said.
Nakuru Chamber of Commerce chairman Njuguna Kamau called for the scrapping of the weighbridge, saying the country was losing millions of shillings due to incompetence at the station.
