Summary
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Road Transport Industry
The road transport industry is almost entirely run by the private sector, with some heavy cargo and petroleum products moving by rail and pipeline. The industry comprises of both large and medium sized companies. The fleet is estimated to be over 40,000 trucks of different loading capacities. It is a highly competitive industry and relatively efficient given the adverse road conditions, and the age of the fleet as a whole.
Most of the trucks in Kenya are relatively old and as a result have a low operational efficiency. This is due to high purchase cost of new trucks and considerations over duty / VAT and insurance costs.
The Kenyan regulation only allows Kenyan registered trucks to operate within the country and it is obligatory for operators of heavy trucks to observe axle load limitations. However, in time the enforcement has become less strict due to weighbridge calibration that is not done regularly and the transporters' mentality to get around the law and overload their trucks. The Government is in process of enforcing new safety rules and regulations in the transport industry, ie. Calibrated injector pumps.
The transport industry in Kenya has a significant network also serving the landlocked countries in Eastern and Central Africa.