The High Court has temporarily halted the suspension of Nicco Movers Sacco’s operating licence, giving the commuter transport operator a reprieve as it challenges a decision by the Transport Licensing Appeals Board (TLAB).
Justice Janet Mulwa issued the temporary orders on Wednesday, September 2, allowing the Sacco to continue its operations pending further directions on September 22, 2026.
The case was filed by Nicco Movers through its lawyer, Danstan Omari, following a TLAB decision issued on August 31, 2026. The Sacco contested the tribunal’s decision to suspend its Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence.
The High Court certified the matter as urgent and directed Nicco Movers to serve the respondents with the petition within 24 hours.
The ruling offers temporary relief to the Sacco, which had been facing an operational suspension over concerns about the safety of its vehicles.
The tribunal had suspended the operator after overturning an earlier decision by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to revoke Nicco Movers’ licence.
“The Respondent’s decision revoking the Appellant’s PSV Operator Licence, communicated by letter referenced NTSA/C/RT/96/1VOL. (1) and dated 9th June 2026, is hereby set aside. In substitution thereof, the Appellant’s PSV Operator Licence is suspended with immediate effect,” the tribunal ordered.
The dispute followed a safety inspection conducted on 51 vehicles operated under the Sacco. According to findings presented by NTSA, only six of the vehicles inspected met the required safety standards, while 45 failed to meet the requirements.
Inspectors identified several safety defects, including faulty or missing passenger seat belts, defective doors and window locks, malfunctioning lights and horns, damaged bodywork and missing emergency equipment.
NTSA also raised concerns over compliance with speed regulations. The authority reported that 30 vehicles associated with the operator had been recorded travelling above the mandatory 80 kilometres per hour speed limit.
A further 11 vehicles were reportedly not transmitting speed-limiter data. Other vehicles either lacked speed-limit records, had non-functional speed limiters or did not have valid inspection certificates.
The regulatory action came after the death of 19-year-old Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) student Eugene Mutivi Mutuku in June.
Mutuku died after falling from a moving Nicco Movers vehicle along Thika Superhighway. However, the circumstances surrounding his death remain contested.
The student’s family has alleged that Mutuku was pushed from the moving vehicle, while Nicco Movers has maintained that he jumped.
Following the fatal incident, NTSA suspended Nicco Movers Sacco and grounded all vehicles operating under its licence.
The Sacco subsequently resumed operations after TLAB overturned NTSA’s decision to revoke its operating licence, although the tribunal replaced the revocation with an immediate suspension.
The latest High Court orders now allow Nicco Movers to remain operational temporarily, pending the next directions in the case on September 22.
