Kenya leading in axle control in the region as countries flock to KeNHA to benchmark
LINAH ODHIAMBO- PCO
The Government has automated operations in weighbridge management through system clearance which is enhanced by the installation of Weigh-in-Motion System (WIMS).
According to KeNHA, this has resulted in effective and efficient movement of trucks through the various road corridors while maintaining the recommended axle load limits while weighbridges have supported the Authority’s road maintenance mandate.
Consequently, compliance to axle load limits on the Kenyan highways has risen to a high 97 per cent. The Authority says axle load monitoring is done through static, virtual, and mobile weighbridges across the country, affirming cooperation with the transport sector.
“It is important to be mindful of other road users since the road is a shared asset. Avoiding overloading that could cause destruction of the road and lead to accidents is a responsibility of all road users,” the Director in charge of the Axle Load unit at KeNHA, Eng. Michael Ngala said during a benchmarking visit of teams from Zambia and Mozambique.
The delegation from the two countries un der the aegis of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were convinced that Kenya leads the way in axle load control and management in East Africa, especially with the level of automation they witnessed.
“We are impressed by the positive impacts of the system deployment you are using. No doubt, our selection for our study tour was spot on.
We have been able to gain variable experience on how the weighbridges operate and the automated nature of collecting data makes it even more interesting,” Eng. Hikino Seiya, the JICA Technical Corporation team leader said.
Eng. Seiya assured their Kenyan counterparts that they cannot wait to implement the technology in their respective countries so as to maintain the standards of their roads.
Different Kenyan roads are constructed to accommodate specified axle load limits and load sizes beyond which KeNHA is sues exemption permits for transporters whose goods are not within the allowable limits.
Such goods are given a specified route and other road users are notified accordingly.
The axle load monitoring by the Authority contributes significantly to lowering the costs of road maintenance which ensures that the road asset is suitable for all users and offers optimum service.
The target, according to Eng. Ngala, is to preserve the road to near the original state after construction as possible besides protecting all the installed road furniture.
“This ensures efficient travel along the country’s highways that also cross traffic to neighbouring countries,” Eng. Ngala stated.
To ensure effective monitoring, the Authority has constructed over 11 static weighbridges and 23 virtual weighbridges across the country.
In addition, these are complemented by 23 mobile weighbridge units as signed to monitor different road networks, especially in areas that are not covered by either static or virtual weighbridges