Barely months after the final stretch of the Ngong-Suswa road was completed, motorists have been left questioning why sections of the highway are already showing signs of severe damage.
The Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) says the answer lies in one word: overloading.
Responding to growing public concern over the road’s condition, the agency said the carriageway was designed to accommodate vehicles carrying a maximum axle load of 10 tonnes. Instead, it has regularly been subjected to trucks carrying loads of up to 50 tonnes, placing enormous strain on the pavement.
“The maintenance will be undertaken in phases to address existing pavement distress caused by overloading and to improve road safety,” KeRRA said in a statement.
According to the authority, the damage is particularly visible on the right-hand lane for motorists travelling towards Suswa, where heavy commercial vehicles have caused the most wear.
The Ngong-Suswa road has been open to traffic for about eight years, although its final section was only completed in December 2025. The route is a key transport corridor linking parts of Kajiado County and supporting the movement of goods between Nairobi and the Rift Valley.
To curb further deterioration, KeRRA said it has installed the Ngong-Suswa-Ewaso Kedong virtual weighbridge, which will monitor overloaded vehicles and enforce axle-load limits under the Traffic Act.
The authority said enforcement has already begun, with offenders arrested and charged for violating weight restrictions.
KeRRA added that maintenance works will continue while improvements are made to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. It also urged transporters and road users to comply with the prescribed axle-load limits, warning that failure to do so would continue to shorten the lifespan of the road and increase maintenance costs.
The latest explanation comes amid growing public scrutiny over the quality and durability of road infrastructure, with motorists calling for faster repairs and stronger enforcement against overloaded trucks that damage newly constructed roads.
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