Rid weighbridges of graft to save our roads from ruin

On Monday, this newspaper reported a major traffic snarl-up, whose epicentre was at Mariakani along the Nairobi-Mombasa Road. The jam, which stretched for 10km on either side of the highway, reportedly occurred after Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) jettisoned those charged with manning the weighbridge, whom it accused of corruption, and replaced them with its own officials who weren’t good at the job.

Now, the problem of corruption at weighbridges has been discussed for long. Solutions have been sought and implemented but none seems to eradicate the problem completely.

But, sadly, a lot is at stake wherever there is corruption. At the weighbridges, corrupt officials accept bribes from truck drivers who exceed their axle-load. For a “cup of tea”, they give truckers the greenlight to destroy our roads, which we have spent billions on. Is this be the reason why sections of the recently built Nakuru highway are beginning to be uneven or is due to poor workmanship?

 No, KeNHA must not relent in its efforts to rid weighbridges of corrupt officers.