EAC delegates meet over Load Control bill

EAC ministers and experts from a various sectors today commenced a four-day discussion on a crucial bill in Nairobi, Kenya, which, if enacted, will reduce incidences of overloading on the region’s road network.The 2012 EAC Vehicle Load Control Bill is the culmination of a year-long process during which partner states discussed technical details on vehicle loading.A regional study recommended that the region adopts a harmonised load limit, decriminalises overloading and develops modern weighbridge stations.Rwanda’s Minister of East African Community Affairs, Monique Mukaruliza, noted that it was significant to harmonise the laws with the aim of protecting goods, adding that it would benefit Rwanda as a land-locked country.“There is a need for harmonisation of our laws if we are to protect our roads. However, we should do it in a way that will not hinder our transporters because, as a landlocked country, we still need more transporters to come to Rwanda,” she emphasised.Member countries are afraid that overloaded trucks could end up destroying the regional road network, hence the need for harmonisation standards.Authorities in Rwanda and Burundi allow trucks to handle a maximum of 53 tonnes.Kenya permits 48 tonnes while Uganda and Tanzania let 56 tonnes. This means that if a truck coming to Rwanda loads goods over 53 tonnes, owners have to bear the cost of the extra weight.Recently, it was agreed that the adoption of a 56-tonne gross vehicle weight limit within the region be the regional standard for the transporters.In recent interview with The New Times, Jean de Dieu Ndachayisenga, a specialist in charge of transport, science and technology at the Ministry of East African Community, said that transporters in the region were still overwhelmed by many challenges as this has impeded their effectiveness.“(The) overloading issue has been like a crime in passing. Regional countries possess different regulations and this affects transporters. For example, if a Rwandan truck goes to Kenya having a maximum weight of over 48 tonnes, it is charged,” he observed.“If trucks from other countries come to Rwanda, they are also charged but once the regulations are harmonised, it will be easy for transporters to work freely and no one will be affected,” said he explained.The proposed bill now aims to put the technically agreed parameters into legal context through which the proposed legislation would supersede national laws on vehicle load control.It is also expected that the implementation of the law will greatly reduce congestion at weighbridge stations and eliminate bribery since all transactions will be ICT based and all weighing stations will be linked electronically to a central data processing station.The bill proposes that payments of overloading fees be done administratively through prepaid coupons or electronic transfers and discourages payment of cash at source. Also, payment through court systems will be eliminated. Once agreed upon, the proposed bill will be forwarded to the EAC’s policy making organ – the Council of Ministers, for consideration and ultimately to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) for debate and enactment into Community law.Cross-border transport is three to five times more expensive in Africa than in Asia and Latin America. For instance, truck transport from Mombasa to Kampala, over a distance of 1,100 km, takes five days, of which 19 hours is spent crossing borders and weighbridges.A conservative estimate is that each one-hour reduction in such crossing time would bring benefits worth US$7 million per year to the EAC region.

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EAC delegates meet over Load Control bill