KeNHA launches crackdown on unsafe sugarcane transport amid spike in road crashes
KeNHA noted that transporters have increasingly been stacking sugarcane beyond permissible height limits, with nighttime movement further raising the risk of accidents due to poor visibility.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has launched a crackdown on unsafe sugarcane transport, citing a rise in accidents caused by tractors carrying bulky loads beyond legal limits.
In a statement, the authority raised concerns that many of the tractors operate with faulty lighting and unroadworthy bodies, creating serious hazards for motorists and pedestrians, particularly during night hours.
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KeNHA noted that transporters have increasingly been stacking sugarcane beyond permissible height limits, with nighttime movement further raising the risk of accidents due to poor visibility.
“Sugarcane transportation aboard tractors continues to pose a grave safety risk to road users, particularly at night when visibility is low. Many of the transporting tractors are unroadworthy, often operating with faulty lighting systems and carrying bulky loads that extend beyond permissible dimensions. It is these conditions that significantly increase the likelihood of accidents,” the authority said.
In its latest enforcement activity, the Busia Weighbridge mobile team intercepted a tractor, registration KTCB 694W, on the Kisumu–Busia Road transporting sugarcane stacked to an unsafe height of five metres, above the legal limit of 4.2 metres.
KeNHA confirmed that the driver will be charged under Section 55(2) as read with Section 58(1) of the Traffic Act, Cap 403, when he appears in the Busia Law Court on Monday, November 24, 2025.
The authority emphasised that strict enforcement of traffic and vehicle load regulations is critical to protecting road users and safeguarding the country’s road infrastructure.
It warned that many tractors operate without reflective markings or functioning headlights while navigating busy corridors, compounding the danger to motorists and pedestrians.
The Authority said it will intensify crackdowns on tractors carrying sugarcane beyond legal dimensions, reiterating that nighttime operations of such vehicles pose a grave risk.
The crackdown comes as Kenya’s enforcement agencies, including the National Police Service and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), step up road safety measures ahead of the festive season.
Acting NTSA Director General Angela Wanjira announced that thousands of drivers would undergo fresh tests before the December holidays following a report showing a 2.6 per cent rise in road crash victims in 2025 compared to the previous year.
She said mandatory retesting will target drivers flagged through enforcement operations and the NTSA Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS) to ensure their competence on the roads.
In early September, KeNHA, in collaboration with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), launched a nationwide sensitisation programme targeting weighbridge staff.
The entities said the initiative will focus on the Anti-Bribery Act of 2016, the Anti-Bribery Procedures of 2022, and KeNHA’s internal guidelines for preventing bribery and corruption.
“The exercise is aimed at creating awareness among weighbridge management and staff on the Act, as well as on the procedures established by the Authority to enable effective and sufficient reporting on bribery and corruption,” they said.
Weighbridges across the country have long been flagged as hotspots for corruption, often linked to bribery demands in exchange for overlooking overloaded trucks or falsifying weight compliance records. By targeting staff at these points, KeNHA said the programme seeks to cut off avenues where unethical practices have thrived.
The authority stressed that for the war on corruption to succeed, staff must be adequately trained and supported to recognise bribery attempts and feel empowered to report them through structured channels.
“This exercise demonstrates the Authority’s commitment to promoting transparency in the execution of her mandate and ensuring that loopholes that could be exploited against the war on corruption are sealed,” KeNHA said.
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