Several vehicles operating along the Nairobi - Mombasa highway were on Wednesday impounded by a multi-agency team consisting of officers from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the National Police Service (NPS).
Even as the crackdown intensified, motorists resorted to using alternative routes while some avoided travel to evade arrest over non-compliance.
In the widely circulated images, the ever-busy highway recorded a low turnout of motorists even as the officers barricaded the road, barring smooth flow of traffic.
Motorists plying the route were stopped by officers conducting compliance checks, those found to be on the wrong side of traffic laws and regulations were arrested.
As of Wednesday noon, the multi agency team had impounded several vehicles and boda bodas during the road safety compliance checks.
Motorists who used the Nairobi - Mombasa highway spoke of heightened and thorough checks by the officers. "I have just used the road and it isn't a joke," commented a driver.
Meanwhile, the officers were also on the lookout for pedestrians who did not observe traffic rules. In the crackdown, about 30 pedestrians were arrested for contravening the traffic rules on the busy road.
"To avoid any inconveniences, we urge pedestrians to use available footbridges, walkways and other designated crossing points to ensure their safety," NTSA officials noted.
The crackdown comes a week after Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen directed the return of NTSA officials to the roads.
Murkomen noted the NTSA officers would collaborate with police officers to arrest defiant drivers. The resolution was reached after consultations between Murkomen and Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.
"Having consulted with my Interior and National Coordination colleague, Kithure Kindiki, we are going to establish a mechanism where the previous directive to remove NTSA from enforcement will be vacated and a collaborative regime between NTSA and NPS will be put in place for a more efficient enforcement," Murkomen noted in a statement.
Murkomen's order was triggered after a grisly accident occurred along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on March 18, involving a Kenyatta University bus and a trailer.
