Govt Imposes Movement Restrictions of Specific Vehicles in Mombasa Until February 2024

Traffic menace in some sections of Mombasa has necessitated the imposing of temporary movement restrictions until February 2024.

In a notice published in the Kenya Gazette Notice dated Friday, December 8, Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir's administration announced that specific heavy commercial vehicles would be barred from accessing some sections of the city during specific hours.

Commercial vehicles which exceed 10 tons will not be allowed to use specific roads during peak hours.

According to the Mombasa Department of Transport and Infrastructure, heavy commercial vehicles exceeding the said weight would not allowed to use the Northern Mainland Roads from 6.00 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. and from 3.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.

"By virtue of the Fourth Schedule part 2 section 5 of the Constitution of Kenya and in exercise of the powers conferred by section 26 (1) (c) of the Mombasa County Roads Act, 2016, the Executive Committee Member responsible for matters relating to Transport and Infrastructure, County Government of Mombasa gazettes the temporary restriction of the usage of the Northern Mainland Roads of Mombasa County by heavy commercial vehicles above ten (10) tons from the 20th November 2023 to 18th February, 2024," the notice read in part.

The specific roads include the Nyali Bridge, Fidel Odinga Road, Links Road, New Malindi Road and Old Malindi Road.

Adherence to the directive is expected to ease traffic in Mombasa during peak hours.

In 2015, Nairobi County banned trucks from accessing the Central Business District (CBD) during the day. The then Governor Evans Kidero directed that trucks would only be allowed to enter the city between 10 pm and 5 am.

The move was to reduce traffic within the city and allow free movement of passengers, especially during the peak hours.