Nairobi – The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is on the spot after reportedly helping truckers to violate the axle load rule.Questions are being raised after the Kenya National Highway Authority (Kenha) last Wednesday impounded a truck at the Mlolongo weighbridge carrying excess gross weight of nearly 80 tonnes.According to the inspection, the truck was supposed to carry below the required load limit of 52 tonnes, but was carrying 135. 5 tonnes.The inspectors said the transit truck allegedly loaded at National Cement had a KRA seal, indicating different tonnage but was detected by the new weighing-in-motion devices away from the actual weighbridge.Destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo, it had a ticket number A200151035 at the Athi River weighbridge. Customs seals are only put and broken by taxmen.Kenha is now raising concerns that tax officials could have been colluding with the truck operators who were arraigned.“This is clearly a let down on the part of KRA on our efforts,” the Kenha director general, Meshack Kidenda, said.He said the highways agency would not relent in its fight against axle load rules violation, warning that together with the directorate of criminal investigations, it would ensure the culprits are punished.“We have charged the driver, loader and transporter and I have given instructions that the vehicle should not be released. The overloading particularly with foreign registered truck is obscene,” Kidenda said.He challenged truck owners to stick to permitted axle load rules, arguing a number of the crew have no clue on the load limits.KRA spokesman Kennedy Onyonyi did not comment saying he had no details on the case.National Cement said it was not its practice to violate transportation rules.
