Roads agency stands firm over weighbridge rules

By Patrick Beja and Lonah Kibet

Kenya: Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has said it will not back down on its move to enforce weight laws.

The agency’s Director General, Mr Meshack Kidenda, maintained the institution would not consider the option of weighing vehicles based on gross weight only.

Kidenda, in a briefing in Nairobi Wednesday, said the axle load measurement is applied per axle as provided for under the law. He made the announcement following a standoff between KeNHA and truck drivers at Mariakani weighbridge on Tuesday.

The truck drivers blocked Nairobi-Mombasa Road with their vehicles protesting enforcement of the new loading regulations. They were later allowed to pass without their vehicles being weighed.

This was a reprieve to thousands of road users who had stuck at the station.

The truck drivers had caused a huge traffic jam at the weighbridge protesting the move to charge them for axle load and gross weight.

The reprieve followed an intervention by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, who visited the weighbridge on Tuesday evening, to assess the situation after motorists and passengers were stranded the whole day.

Mr Kidenda noted the truck drivers were trying to arm-twist KeNHA to change its stance.

“Some transporters through their drivers have decided to continue employing arm-twisting tactics with the hope that we will give into their demands. We assure the public that we shall continue to exercise the mandate accorded to us through relevant laws,” said Kidenda.

He added: “The law is very clear that adherence to the recommended maximum axle load limit is not an option and must be enforced at all times to ensure that the country’s road network is preserved.”

He said they have in past faced stiff resistance from transporters, who agitated for a relaxation of the limits but he assured that the authority shall at all times implement the law to the letter.

In bush

 “KeNHA would like to remind transporters that it is an offence punishable by law to block any road for whatever reason without written consent from relevant authorities,” he warned.

On Tuesday evening, police officers watched helplessly after truck drivers parked vehicles at Mariakani weighbridge creating a gridlock.

Senior police officers drove through the bush to access the weighbridge offices from Mariakani town to attend a crisis meeting with Mr Kingi.

Later, Kingi announced he had talked to Transport and Infrastructure Secretary Michael Kamau, who had agreed to allow the trucks to pass through the weighbridge to ease the traffic chaos.