The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has proposed a raft of changes for commercial service vehicles on Kenyan roads in 2025.
In a proposed bill named the Draft National Transport and Safety Authority (Operation of Commercial Service Vehicles) Regulations, 2025, commercial vehicles will include vehicles built for carrying goods weighing 3,048 kilogrammes and above.
The new proposals will require such vehicles to be adapted for that purpose and will also see several other new requirements imposed on owners of such motor vehicles.
In the draft, all commercial vehicles will be required to install underride protection devices.
Underride protection devices are iron material welded on the rear end and the length of commercial vehicles to prevent smaller vehicles from sliding beneath the commercial vehicle in case of an accident.
Absorb impact
The devices are meant to reduce severity in the case of a high-impact collision from the back or on either side of vehicles and minimize the loss of lives, especially in instances where smaller vehicles would be lodged under larger ones and dragged.
The NTSA proposals also will require all commercial vehicles to have at minimum, a third-party insurance cover to operate on Kenyan roads.
Equally, the proposed laws will require commercial vehicle owners to have installed a speed limiter conforming to the applicable Kenyan Standard as stipulated by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
The vehicle owners will also be required to have installed a vehicular telematic system conforming to the applicable 6 Kenyan Standards as stipulated by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Reflective markings
In what appears as a sustained effort to bring down the number of accidents, NTSA proposes that commercial vehicles have retro-reflective contour markings with a minimum width of two inches that conform to the applicable Kenyan Standard as stipulated by the Kenya Bureau of Standards as illustrated in the Second Schedule.
Other requirements are that the vehicles carry an efficient fire extinguisher that is maintained in perfect order and be carried in such a position to be readily available for use at any time, have a valid vehicle inspection certificate and carry a first aid outfit sufficient to deal with any reasonable emergency.
The rules are set to be part of the larger set of rules which require operators and owners of commercial vehicles to ensure that the vehicles are in a decent mechanical condition.
The commercial vehicle owners must also keep records of when the vehicles were serviced for the last two years.
