Thugs Hit KeNHA Team
On Friday, August 1, a group of police officers and officials from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) found themselves in a tense situation when they were ambushed by a gang of armed thugs while trying to stop an overloaded lorry on Mombasa Road near Athi River.
The KeNHA team, part of the Axle Load Enforcement Highway Unit (ALEHU), was conducting a routine inspection after getting a tip-off about a truck that was illegally transporting construction materials.
This operation was part of KeNHA’s ongoing efforts to crack down on axle load violations, which pose a serious risk to the safety and integrity of our national roads.
One of the trucks they intercepted was carrying a load that should have been split between at least two vehicles.
The officials had stopped trucks carrying building materials that were breaking axle load rules, but their attempts to catch the transporters were thwarted when a group of thugs attacked them.
Daniel Njoroge, the CEO of Danka Ltd, which oversees the Athi River cluster for KeNHA, reported that the enforcement team was unexpectedly ambushed by unruly youths armed with stones and makeshift weapons.
“So today, from the intelligence we had gathered, there were some trucks that were overloading on the Mombasa Road, and we deployed our team to intercept the trucks, but unfortunately, the transporters mobilised goons who attacked us, and we were not able to apprehend the truck,” Njoroge explained.
According to officials, a group of thugs hurled stones at KeNHA’s vehicles, causing damage to both the windscreen and the rear shield.
The officers had to pull back to prevent further violence, which allowed the overloaded trucks to make their escape.
Superintendent Fridah Wanja, who is the Deputy in Charge of the Road Enforcement and Highways Unit, strongly condemned the attack and vowed to take legal action against the transporters.
“We were acting on intelligence and managed to intercept two trucks. But due to the rogue behavior of the transporters, goons were mobilized to block our efforts. We are going to pursue the drivers and owners who facilitated this criminality,” she said.
Lately, we’ve been seeing a troubling rise in the presence of goons across the country, with some even resorting to attacking private businesses. This ongoing situation has sparked a lot of tension and raised serious concerns about the overall security in the nation.
Thugs Hit KeNHA Team
