Slowing down folks on the expressway paves for way for healthy 'collections'

A section of the 27-kilometre Nairobi Expressway. [File, Standard]

I received a text message from the National Transport Safety Association (NTSA) claiming that I had exceeded a speed limit and there was a fine to be paid. It was last Saturday, on the very day that I respectfully slowed down to the nonsensical speed of 50kph imposed on the Makenji area on the Thika Superhighway.

I was going to bury a dear friend’s dad. A court case is in progress challenging that speed limit, and I was quite furious at the idea of the fine. I thought it was tantamount to contempt of court on an issue that was awaiting court’s determination.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when I scrutinised the message further and found that it emanated from a drive on a different day, on a segment of the Nairobi expressway, when I was sound asleep. Someone else had been at the wheel.

I happily forwarded the message to the driver in question. On the NTSA website, where one’s directed to follow prompts to establish the surcharge, it emerged that the driver was cruising at the gentle speed 98kph, above the stipulated limit of 80kph.

This doesn’t make a lot of sense, to impose a lower limit on the expressway, but allow higher speeds of 100 and 110kph on other roads across the country, and which are often so gridlocked, one is unlikely to achieve those speeds anyway.

The damage to the pocket of the driver was substantial, a whopping 10k for a transgression she wasn’t even aware of. I had a mind to ask her not to pay until I read the fine prints: NTSA will impose more penalties on unpaid fines and potentially block such motorists from renewing their licenses. You just can’t win in this country.