Traffic on the busy Eldoret-Malaba Highway was brought to a halt on Tuesday morning as truck drivers protested and blocked the road in response to what they called unfair cess charges imposed by the Busia County Government.
At the Malaba border in Amagoro, the frustrated truck drivers asserted that the county government was attempting to enforce cess fees without prior consultation. They accused county officials of overstepping their authority, arguing that the Eldoret-Malaba Highway is managed by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).
“We are being charged fees without understanding the reasons behind them. They abruptly started this in the morning. We don’t see why we should be taxed for using this trans-highway,” said Salim Bahaba, a truck driver.
Another driver highlighted the lack of proper sanitation facilities and parking spaces on the road, stating, “This is why we are shutting down the road; not even a bicycle will pass here.”
The drivers parked their trucks on the highway, pledging to prevent any traffic flow until their demands for the county to retract its directive were met.
In addition, clearing agents at the Malaba border post criticized the Busia County Government for implementing rules without sufficient public participation from affected stakeholders.
This incident followed a recent directive from the Busia County Government announcing a toll of Ksh400 per truck for using the busy border route.
In response, the Kenya Transporters Association Ltd (KTA) advised truck drivers not to comply with the directive, arguing that the county lacked the authority to impose tolls on these roads. “The Kenya Transporters Association Ltd (KTA) strongly advises all transporters using these roads to refrain from paying any truck entry fees imposed by Busia County for the following reasons,” stated part of their notice regarding the Nairobi-Malaba and Nairobi-Kisumu-Busia highways.
“These roads fall under the jurisdiction of the National Government. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is responsible for their maintenance and operation, and county governments do not have the authority to impose restrictions or levies on national roads.”
As of the time of publishing this article, the Busia County Government had not responded to the situation, and KENHA had yet to provide an update.