Choppers & 3 Wide Loads on Kenyan Road that Sparked Debate

Two choppers transported behind a Haulier track along Mombasa Road in November 2018
Two choppers transported behind a Haulier track along Mombasa Road in November 2018.
Twitter

In the first quarter of 2021, motorists have intermittently received warnings over unusual wide loads that would be transported via road to various parts of the country.

With the latest warning having been issued on Friday, April 9 in the dailies, the road users were asked to be careful on the highways to give the trucks ample room to avoid accidents.

In typical Kenyan fashion, however, unusual phenomenon, especially on highways, often elicits divergent views and can at times result into a call to action

Below are four instances where strange truck loads on highways set tongues wagging.

1. Choppers 

Two choppers transported behind a Haulier track along Mombasa Road in November 2018
Two choppers transported behind a Haulier track along Mombasa Road in November 2018
Twitter

Two choppers divided the internet in November 2018 while on Mombasa Road at the back of a haulier truck being transported from Mombasa to Nairobi.

The photos posted on Twitter at the time were the subject of arguments with people wondering why they had to be transported by road instead of flying them to their destination.

At the time, people argued that either the helicopters were not in a condition they could fly or may be their owner had left manufacturers clear instruction to have them delivered with zero mileage.

To this day, it is still not clear why the choppers were to be transported by road.

2. Wide trailer on the highway

The wide load truck with it's oversize cargo
The wide load truck with its oversize cargo
Twitter

In mid-January, Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) issued a notice warning motorists to be wary of wide loads that would dominated highways for three months.

It turned out, the cargo was a coal tank which is 4.95 metres wide and had a more than twice the width of a standard vehicle.

The trailer was at the time scheduled to travel from Mombasa to Malaba using various routes through the country.

The truck followed the Mombasa - Mariakani - Voi - Mtito - Machakos Route into Nairobi.

From there it went through Ruai via Eastern By-Pass before connecting with the Northern By-Pass to Mutarakwa - Naivasha - Nakuru - Eldoret and completing its circuit at Malaba.

A week earlier, motorists had been cautioned over another convoy of trucks with extra-wide loads on the Kenyan roads.

When approaching trucks with wide loads, drivers were advised to slow down and move over if necessary to give the machine room to pass without causing destruction.

3. Passenger plane

An airplane's fuselage being transported at a highway in Kenya.
An airplane's fuselage being transported at a highway in Kenya.
Twitter

In April 2020, a passenger plane attracted varying opinions from a section of Kenyans after it was spotted being transported on a Kenyan Road.

The fuselage of a Boeing plane was spotted being transported at the back of a haulier truck along a highway in Kenya.

People, at the time, were quick to joke about how Covid-19 pandemic had adversely affected the aviation industry forcing pilots to 'work from home.'

They interpreted the fuselage's transportation as an effect of the pandemic that had seen air transport shut down a month earlier.

A representative from Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) suspected that the fuselage was from a Kenya Airways (KQ) hangers.

A KQ representative denied that the body was of a plane attached to one of its hangers explaining that an aeroplane, even if faulty, was by law not allowed to use the road as a means of transport.

We later learnt that the owner aimed at turning the fuselage into a unique 5-star night club and restaurant in Kitengela, at a cost of Ksh8 million.

4. Truck Transporting Truck

A truck transporting another truck loaded with a pick-up truck.
A truck transporting another truck loaded with a pick-up truck.
Twitter

On Sunday, April 11, 2021, a photo of a truck carrying another truck which was loaded with a pick-up puzzled a number of road users.

In the image, the original truck was longer than the loaded truck though it lacked guard rails. The loaded truck, on the other hand, was tireless but had guard rails to hold its load in place.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the transportation mode but Twitter users suspected that the pick-up truck was being imported to Uganda via Kenya.

"It happens majorly with ex-Japan cars imported to Uganda via Kenyan port of Mombasa then transported via road to Uganda.

"The three trucks are sold in Japan and transported as a unit to Uganda. there are no age limitations for cars imported to Uganda," explained a user.

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