KeNHA warns transporters over weighbridges

A truck passes through the Mariakani weighbridge in Kilifi County on April 26, 2015 when the High Speed Weighing in Motion system was unveiled. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT |

What you need to know:

  • Reports have emerged of some drivers refusing to use the weighbridges.
  • SGS Kenya Limited said they had handed over to KeNHA a list of trucks that had skipped the checks.

Transport companies whose trucks do not pass through designated weighbridges will face stiff penalties, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) warned on Monday.

This comes after reports emerged of some drivers refusing to use the weighbridges as their trucks were alleged to be overloaded.

Weighbridge managers SGS Kenya Limited said they had handed over to KeNHA a list of trucks that had skipped the checks.

“Refusing to drive into a weighbridge is an offense that attracts a fine of Sh186,000 and the culprits will have to pay this penalty,” said KeNHA corporate affairs manager Charles Njogu.

The fine is in addition to up to Sh400,000 that the transporter pays should the truck be found to be overloaded by more than 10 tonnes.

Due to increased traffic, SGS said two additional weighbridges would be built at Mlolongo in Machakos and Mariakani to ease congestion.

ARE OVERWHELMED

SGS managing director Albert Stockell said the weighbridges, especially the Mlolongo one, are overwhelmed by the number of trucks plying the 8,800km Northern Corridor from the Port of Mombasa up to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Stockwell said the Mlolongo facility was wrongly placed and trucks from the port have to divert to the right to access it, leading to chaos.

“Trucks from Mombasa have to turn right to enter the facility which causes inconvenience and slows traffic but a second weighbridge would solve this problem,” he said.

He said that efforts by SGS, which is a private firm contracted to manage weighbridges in the country, and KeNHA have helped trucks along the Northern Corridor achieve 80 per cent of road axle load compliance.

Mr Stockell told journalists that modern technology installed in all the eight weighbridges in the country had also reduced the time taken to transport cargo from Kilindini to Malaba and destinations in landlocked countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, South Sudan and northern region of Tanzania.

Top officials took the media for a tour of the Mariakani facility on Sunday where a modern High Speed Weighing in Motion (HSWIM) system and CCTV cameras have been installed.

“SGS installed advanced technology, such as the HSWIM systems which remove human discretion from weighbridge operation. With underground sensors imbedded in the road, HSWIM automatically detects trucks that weigh more than the legal limit, selecting them for static weighing,” Mr Stockell said.

“Introduction of technology has led to a drastic reduction of corruption at weighbridges through the manipulation of records. Initially, it was the police who decided which vehicle to weigh at the static scale, but with the automatic system, there is no short cut,” KeNHA Axle Load Control Manager Muita Ngatia said in a statement.

Last year, transporters signed a charter that committed them to adhering to allowed weight limits but rogue transporters have continued to overload their vehicles.