- Waema called for increased surveillance and the deployment of CCTV cameras to monitor and guarantee the safety of drivers.
- He alleged a driver was attacked and injured by a Kenha contracted employee managing Nairobi's Southern bypass.
Image: LABAN WALLOGA
Long-distance truck drivers have called for improved security along major highways in the country following increased kidnapping and killing of their colleagues.
According to the Long Distance Truck Drivers Union, nine drivers lost their lives to kidnappers along the highways between January and September.
Addressing the media in Mombasa, Tuesday afternoon, the union chairman Roman Waema called for improved security.
He said they cannot sit down and continue watching drivers killed.
“We have complained about this issue before and even held deliberations with the Northern Corridor highway patrol officials over the matter. They have tried, but we still have cases of kidnappings,” Waema said.
Waema called for increased surveillance and the mounting of CCTV cameras to monitor and guarantee the safety of drivers along the highways.
“We can borrow a leaf from Rwanda, which have mounted CCTV cameras along their major highways. They don’t even have traffic officers in some sections of the road because whatever you do is captured and monitored. It is possible to do that here too,” Waema said.
He also raised complaints of drivers getting harassed by rogue Kenya National Highway Authority and KRA officials along the highways asking the government to intervene and tame the officials.
Waema alleged that recently, a driver was attacked and injured by a KeNHA employee managing Nairobi's southern bypass to enforce the ban on parking along road shoulders.
The incident happened on Sunday and left the driver nursing injuries. He was treated at the Kikuyu hospital and the matter was reported at the Kikuyu police station.
“His condition got worse and is currently admitted at Tenwek Hospital. We demand that KeNHA intervenes and make sure that he gets proper medical attention,” Waema said.
“KeNHA must also reign on its rogue officers, they can’t descend on someone with kicks and blows and hit him. We have parking rules enacted by the authority, if a driver breaks the rules so let us follow the law.”
He called for speedy investigations into the matter, saying that such acts were sabotaging President William Ruto's move to revert port operations to Mombasa.
KeNHA, however, downplayed the allegation saying the driver attacked their contracted employee.
In a statement, KeNHA said they had reported the matter to the Kikuyu police station and investigations are ongoing.
“Our attention has been drawn to an incident in which a truck driver attacked a contracted employee managing the Nairobi Southern Bypass to enforce the ban on parking along road shoulders. The truck driver had illegally parked on the road shoulder instead of the designated parking lots," the statement reads in part.
“The authority would like to encourage truck drivers to only park at designated points to avoid being fined as per the law."
KeNHA reminded drivers and the public that the law under the Traffic Act requires them to utilise designated parking lots along the highways or attract a fine of Sh30,000.
Waema further said truck drivers had been turned into cash cows by some KRA officials operating along the highways.
He alleged the officials were misusing the digital trucking seals for truck drivers whenever they go off-road.
He, however, questioned why they take time to trace a hijacked truck until a driver is killed and found abandoned in the thickets.
“Most drivers like to park at a specific hotel in Mtito Andei to take their meals and rest. But as soon as they park them officials arrive and confiscate their documents. This only means that they were using the seals to track the drivers,” he said.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)