The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has increased the permitted height of motor vehicles by 0.2 metres to 4.5 metres.
This was announced by the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) on Wednesday, March 6, which lauded the move as a win for truck drivers.
Before the revision, KeNHA had set the maximum height of lorries plying on Kenyan roads at 4.3 metres.
“The Kenya Transporters Association Ltd (KTA) has successfully engaged with the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to allow a 0.2-meter height tolerance for motor vehicles,” a statement from KTA read in part.
KTA announced that the increase in the metre height tolerance was borne out of lengthy engagements between the Association and KeNHA.
“Going forward, please contact the KTA Secretariat if any motor vehicle within the new height limit of 4.5 meters is impounded.”
KTA did not immediately indicate if there would be an amendment to the Traffic Act to mirror the agreement with KeNHA.
Apart from the 4.3 maximum height, the maximum overall width of a motor vehicle together with any load projecting beyond the overall width of the vehicle, shall not exceed 2.65 metres.
The 4.3 metres is usually measured from the road service and is considered the overall height of a motor vehicle or a combination of vehicles either laden or unladen.
“A vehicle body shall not be constructed, nor shall the vehicle be loaded, to a height that will impair its stability; and maximum body heights shall be determined by the inspector of motor vehicles in accordance with vehicle testing standards,” the Act further states.
Additionally, the Act mandates that no part of a vehicle other than the driving mirror or direction indicators, shall project more than 15 centimetres beyond the outside wall of the outermost rear tyre.
For the maximum length of vehicles in Kenya, passenger vehicles should not exceed 11 metres while articulated vehicles including semi-trailers should not exceed 17.4 metres.
A combination of vehicles consisting of either a motor vehicle with a drawbar trailer, or a vehicle and a semi-trailer with a drawbar trailer coupled to the latter is granted a maximum length of 22 metres.
