13 drivers abandoned their trucks on the busy Thika - Garissa Highway as Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) intensified its crackdown.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, February 27, Axle Load Enforcement and Highway Unit Officer in Charge John Gichohi confirmed the incident noting that the trucks did not have proper number plates.
He further noted that the drivers attempted to stage a protest against the trackdown but disappeared after their plan failed.
The officer explained that the vehicles had exceeded the required load by as much as 27,400 Kilograms hence damaging the highways.
"The least amongst these trucks that we have managed to intercept and detain today had 45,400kgs meaning that the overload was 19,400kgs.
"The truck that had the highest load was 53,400kgs which tells you that in the vehicle, the overload was 27,400kgs," Gichohi stated as per Citizen TV.
KeNHA representative, who was present during the crackdown, explained that track overloads lead to increased road damage by destroying the underlying layers.
He also observed that once the damage is done on underlying layers, repairs on the highways prodifficult.
“They damage the underlying layers of our roads and so even if we do maintenance they will still be affected, overloading makes maintenance of the roads very high," stated Langat.
The impounded trucks were transferred to Kithimani Police Station in Machakos County as investigations into their whereabouts continues.
The operation was carried out by KeNHA in conjunction with the National Police Service.
In Kenya, truck drivers are only allowed a maximum of 24 tonnes of load to operate on the country's highways.
In 2013, debate was rife seeking to increase the overall truck weight to 56 tonnes in the entire East African Region but the proposal quickly put Kenyan truck operators in collision course with the country's authorities. The maximum gross weight, including the weight of the truck, is pegged at 48 tonnes.
