Kenyan truck drivers are increasingly resorting to covert and sometimes dangerous tactics to evade the Kenya National Highways Authority’s (KeNHA) mobile patrol units, officials have warned. The schemes, which range from makeshift intelligence networks to outright attacks on enforcement officers, are undermining road safety and damaging public infrastructure.

Speaking during a media sensitization tour at the Mlolongo Weighbridge, Jackson Kimuyu, the assistant operations manager at Danka Africa Kenya Limited, the contracted weighbridge operator, outlined a growing list of methods used by rogue transporters to outwit patrol teams from KeNHA’s Axle Load Enforcement Highway Units (ALEHU).

One of the most common tactics involves paying boda boda riders to act as spotters. Stationed along major highways and feeder roads, these motorcycle taxi operators alert truckers to the presence of enforcement vehicles, enabling them to divert onto alternative routes before being intercepted.

In addition to the boda boda network, private motorists, including drivers working for ride-hailing apps, have been recruited to take photographs of KeNHA patrol units. These images are circulated through closed social media groups used by truck drivers, allowing them to plan evasive maneuvers well in advance.

Truckers themselves also contribute to the intelligence chain. Those who encounter weighbridge staff often take photographs of enforcement vehicles and officers, posting them in group chats along with details of possible “panya routes”, small, unofficial feeder roads or estate roads that bypass weighbridges.

The overuse of such feeder roads has led to significant deterioration, with many now riddled with potholes and rendered unsafe for smaller vehicles.

In some cases, truck operators have gone further by tampering with their number plates to trick virtual sensor systems, making it harder for automated weigh-in-motion technology to identify them.

The situation has at times escalated into violence. In Athi River, a KeNHA team was attacked by a mob of sand loaders who pelted their vehicles with rocks.

Police were forced to intervene to evacuate the enforcement officers to safety. Such confrontations have raised concerns about the personal security of road safety personnel.

KeNHA says it has been working with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to track and apprehend those orchestrating these operations.

Offenders face prosecution under the Penal Code for obstruction, malicious damage, and other related crimes.

Authorities have warned that the evasion tactics do not only hinder law enforcement but also exacerbate the dangers of overloading.

Overloaded trucks are more likely to be involved in serious accidents and cause rapid wear to the country’s road network, adding to the cost of maintenance.

“We don’t want to catch offenders,” Kimuyu said. “We want to protect lives, protect our roads, and ensure that the law is respected. The longer these tactics continue, the more damage we will see to both infrastructure and public safety.”

The crackdown on overloading remains a priority for KeNHA, but the increasingly sophisticated methods of evasion suggest that enforcement agencies will need to adapt quickly to stay ahead.