The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Western Region team held a seven-day public sensitization exercise on road reserve protection and road safety.
The team was led by Deputy Regional Director Eng. Edwin Otieno, Assistant Surveyor Collins Githui and Axle Load Enforcement and Highway Unit (ALEHU) Chief Inspector Moses Nderitu.
The exercise was carried out along Kakamega – Ekoro road, Sigalagala – Kapsabet road, Namgoi – Nandi Hills road, and Chebarbar – Lessos – Nabkoi road.
This comes after truck drivers plying the National and regional highways were put on notice for illegally tampering with liftable axles.
According to KENHA, there has been an increase in trucks going into transit with their axles lifted.
“Our concern has been drawn to the rising cases of misuse of liftable axles within the National and Regional Trunk Road Network. This is from data that we have analysed from the various Static and Virtual Weighbridges located on the National Road Network.”
An axle-lift is often used by drivers to raise a set of wheels. This is often used to reduce road noise.
However, drivers are tampering with the switches as it is only allowed when a truck is not in motion.
Engineer Kennedy Ndugire, a senior KeNHA engineer in charge of axle load enforcement, said the practice is a violation of the law.
“Drivers are tampering with the liftable axles system in blatant violation of the Axle Load Limit Laws. The net effect of lifting the liftable axle for a loaded truck is that its allowable gross weight reduces as fewer axles will be carrying the same load. For Example, a six (6) axle truck allowed by law to carry 50 Tonnes will be allowed to carry 42 Tonnes with the lift axle up since only five (5) axles will be touching the ground.”
