Kisumu: The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has launched an intensified crackdown on overloaded trucks and vandalism of road infrastructure. KeNHA’s Deputy Director in charge of axle load control, Jared Makori, warned that the two vices were draining public coffers and threatening to erode gains made from the country’s multi-trillion-shilling investment in roads.

According to Kenya News Agency, Makori said overloading along major transport corridors was undermining a Sh3.5 trillion national highways investment and costing taxpayers billions of shillings annually on repairs and reconstruction. He painted a grim picture of the economic cost of overloading, noting that even partial damage to the road network translates to colossal losses.

‘If even 10 percent of the Sh3.5 trillion road network is destroyed, we are talking about hundreds of billions of shillings lost every year. That means higher maintenance budgets, delayed development elsewhere, and in extreme cases, total reconstruction,’ he said. ‘Overloading is a menace that shortens the lifespan of roads and endangers lives. Failure to enforce compliance has already led to premature deterioration of major highways. We’ve lost quite a number of roads because of this, and we are making all the efforts to stem the vice,’ he added.

To bolster surveillance, KeNHA, he said, has constructed 13 static weighbridges, installed 26 virtual weighing stations, and deployed mobile weigh scales along major transport corridors across the country. The virtual system which feeds into a central platform, he said, has been designed to provide real-time data on compliance trends, enabling faster response and reducing human interference.

‘At weighbridges, trucks are weighed with almost zero human interaction, which minimizes corruption opportunities. We are also investing in more virtual stations to cover uncovered routes and reduce overreliance on personnel,’ Makori said. Makori explained that KeNHA was enforcing axle load limits under the Traffic Act, CAP 403, the Kenya Roads Act, and the East African Community Vehicle Load Control Act adding that compliance was not negotiable: ‘Our mission is to ensure every truck on our trunk road network is weighed and kept within the set limits. This is the only way to preserve our roads,’ he said.

Speaking in Kisumu during a sensitisation meeting on anti-bribery procedures 2022 and corruption prevention for Axle Load Enforcement and Highway Unit (ALEHU) police and KeNHA staff, Makori said the agency has roped in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to bolster enforcement efforts. Corruption, he said, was a hindrance to the enforcement drive where some rogue officers were complacent leading to the clearance of overloaded trucks.

‘We have partnered with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to train staff on integrity and anti-bribery. Here in Kisumu, we are finalizing training for the fifth cluster-Busia, Rongo, and Awendo so that staff know their obligations under Ethics and Chapter Six of the Constitution,’ Makori added.

Alongside overloading, Makori said KeNHA was also battling rampant vandalism of road assets, especially signage and guardrails, often stolen for the scrap metal trade. ‘We have lost a significant number of signage, which puts the public at risk. We are experimenting with alternative materials, plastic, treated wood, and polyethylene that have little scrap value, to deter vandals,’ Makori said. Arrests, he added, have been made in Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Kitale, but the vice persists, particularly in urban centres.

To tame the vice, KeNHA, he said, was increasing patrols, deploying more personnel, and lighting up critical installations at night in an effort to curb theft. Engineer Julius Mak’Odero, KeNHA’s Regional Director for Nyanza, echoed the concerns, likening overloaded trucks to crime scenes on wheels.

‘The driver is a perpetrator, and the vehicle owner is a conspirator. This is a menace that must be dealt with firmly if we are to safeguard the country’s critical infrastructure,’ he said. Mak’Odero warned that corruption in the transport chain undermines enforcement, while overloaded trucks are more difficult to control and often cause fatal accidents.

‘Whenever you have an incident involving an overloaded truck, fatalities are common. Overloading not only accelerates road ageing but also makes business more expensive. When you destroy the very enabler of your business, it is suicidal. No one wins when you overload everybody loses,’ he said. Mak’Odero urged transporters to end the cat-and-mouse game with authorities, stressing that compliance benefits businesses as well as the public.

‘The road is an enabler of business. It is in the best interest of every transporter to adhere to axle load limits so that the infrastructure lasts longer and businesses remain profitable,’ he said. KeNHA, he added, has strengthened its patrol units in Busia, Rongo, and Ahero, resourced with the National Police Service to complement weighbridges.