• Kenha says rogue cargo haulers who do not adhere to axle load control measures will be prosecuted.
• Cheruiyot says the highways authority is implementing a new technology that involves installation of virtual weighbridges to monitor overloading.
Transporters who overload their vehicles will be prosecuted and pay fines of up to Sh835,000, the Kenya National Highways Authority has warned.
Kenha officer in charge of axle load control Dennis Cheruiyot said that under regional laws, overloading culprits will pay even more penalties provided there is evidence.
“Under the Traffic Act, any overload of above 10,000 kilos attracts a penalty of up to Sh400,000. But under regional laws, which we are also enforcing, an overload of 10,000 kilos attracts a fine of Sh835,000. So we are now enforcing more punitive measures,” Cheruiyot said.
He, however, said the Sh835,000 penalty only applies to road users under the Regional Trunk Road Network.
The network is a project that aims at developing and implementing harmonised road transport policies, laws, regulations and standards for efficient cross border road transport and transit networks, transport and logistics services, systems and procedures in the East and Southern African region.
Cheruiyot spoke in an interview with journalists in Busia town.
He said Kenha would remain committed to its mandate to develop, rehabilitate, manage and maintain all national trunk roads. Trunk roads are those used for long distance travel.
He said the highways authority is implementing a new technology that involves the installation of virtual weighbridges in strategic points along the Northern Corridor and other key roads under its mandate in the war on overloading.
“Currently we have 11 static weighbridges and a new technology called virtual weighbridges,” Cheruiyot said.
“Virtual weighbridges are unmanned stations and what happens is that we have automatic number plate recognition cameras which are able to capture the number of the vehicle both front and rear and the sensors which we have installed on the roads.”
“These cameras are also able to capture the speed of that particular vehicle, the length of the vehicle and also the weights. This means that if a particular vehicle is overloaded, all the data is transmitted to our control centre in Nairobi where we are able to analyse and generate reports for enforcement.”
He said Kenha works closely with other partners, particularly the police, in enforcing the laws.
Cheruiyot said Kenha collaborates with the Axle Load Enforcement and Highway Unit within the police service, whose primary responsibility is to help the department in prosecuting overloading cases when they end up in court.
The high penalties imposed against overloading, he said, are meant to deter transporters from carrying excess weight.
“This is to ensure there is no motivation to overload at any given time so that we are able to protect our very expensive road asset,” he said.
“We would like to call on every patriotic Kenyan to support the authority to protect our roads because we all need these roads.”
“And we just don’t need the roads. We need them to be safe. There are so many dangers of overloading and since all of us travel on these roads every now and then, we will want the roads to remain safe or even to last for the designed period.”
He said a majority of transporters who have been prosecuted for overloading are those ferrying construction materials.
Kenha officer in charge of the Busia weighbridge George Ngugi warned transporters who incite the public to demand the release of overloaded vehicles whenever they are detained.
Edited by A.N
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