Kenya’s Judiciary is set to receive targeted training on axle-load laws in a bid to close legal gaps that allow overloaded trucks to escape justice and cause billions of shillings in damage to national highways.
Homa Bay Environment and Lands Court Judge Dr Fred Nyagaka called on the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to seize the upcoming judicial colloquium to educate magistrates and prosecutors on the East African Community Axle Load Schedule and the courts’ role in safeguarding multitrillion-shilling infrastructure.
“Continuous dialogue and structured training will help us handle these matters more effectively,” Nyagaka said. “Many offenders go scot-free due to lack of sufficient documentation. Stronger case preparation will lead to successful prosecutions and real deterrence.”
The move follows a series of court rulings that have reshaped enforcement. A High Court decision in 2016 stripped KeNHA of the power to fine transporters directly, insisting cases go through the courts, a change that made judicial understanding of the technical evidence even more critical.
KeNHA Deputy Director for Axle Load, Michael Ngala, said enforcement technology, including static, virtual and mobile weighbridges, has lifted compliance to 97 per cent, but convictions hinge on airtight evidence presented in court.
Gokhan MD Godfrey Ochieng stressed that wider stakeholder engagement, from transporters to regional authorities, will strengthen the impact of training.
“When the Judiciary, enforcement and industry pull together, compliance follows,” he said.
The training initiative forms part of a broader national strategy to preserve Kenya’s road network, which suffers billions in annual repair costs from overloading.
By equipping judicial officers with technical know-how, officials hope to turn enforcement gains into lasting legal victories.
