The Transport Licensing Appeals Board (TLAB) has suspended Nicco Movers’ Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence with immediate effect, giving the company seven days to rectify safety and compliance shortcomings.
The Tribunal’s decision came after it overturned an earlier decision by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to revoke the company’s licence following two fatal incidents involving Nicco Movers vehicles along Thika Superhighway.
“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 ruling followed an inspection of 51 vehicles operated by Nicco Movers, which revealed significant compliance failures. Only six vehicles were found to have met the required safety standards, while 45 failed the inspection.
Among the defects identified were faulty or missing passenger seat belts, defective doors and window locks, malfunctioning lights and horns, damaged vehicle bodywork and a lack of emergency equipment.
NTSA further established that 30 vehicles associated with the operator had been recorded travelling above the mandatory 80km/h speed limit.
Another 11 vehicles were found not to be transmitting speed-limiter data, while some lacked speed-limit records, operational speed limiters or valid inspection certificates.
The regulatory action followed the death of 19-year-old KMTC student Eugene Mutivi Mutuku, who fell from a moving Nicco Movers vehicle along Thika Superhighway in June.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain contested. His family has alleged that Mutuku was pushed from the vehicle, while the company maintained that he jumped from the moving bus.
Following the incident, NTSA suspended Nicco Movers Sacco and grounded all vehicles operating under its licence. The operator later resumed operations after the TLAB overturned the authority’s decision to revoke its licence.
However, the Tribunal did not rule on the circumstances surrounding Mutuku’s death, stating that the matter falls within the criminal justice process.
The case was also linked to another fatal incident involving a Nicco Movers vehicle in January, when a pedestrian was killed near Kenyatta University and Kahawa Sukari.
Although the Tribunal determined that NTSA had sufficient grounds to take regulatory action against Nicco Movers, it found that completely cancelling the operator’s licence was disproportionate.
The company has consequently been given seven days to address the outstanding safety and compliance violations.
TLAB also left room for further regulatory measures should Nicco Movers fail to comply with the required standards within the stipulated period.
