The Transport Licensing Appeals Board has suspended Nicco Movers’ PSV operator licence with immediate effect, giving the company seven days to address ten compliance concerns raised by the National Transport and Safety Authority.
“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,” reads the order.
The suspension follows a finding that 45 out of 51 Nicco Movers vehicles presented for inspection failed to meet required safety standards, with only six vehicles passing the inspection.
The Tribunal found defects ranging from missing or faulty passenger seat belts, defective doors and window locks, faulty horns and lights to damaged body panels. Some vehicles were also found without first-aid kits and fire extinguishers.
The findings come amid growing scrutiny of the company following two fatal incidents involving Nicco Movers vehicles within six months.
The latest was the death of Kenya Medical Training College student Eugene Mutivi Mutuku, who died on June 5 after falling from a moving Nicco Movers vehicle along Thika Superhighway near Waumini Radio Station.
Eugene’s mother, Jacinta Nzilani Mutuku, told the proceedings that her son had been pushed out of the moving vehicle by the conductor.
Nicco Movers, however, gave a different account, telling NTSA that Eugene had jumped from the vehicle.
The Tribunal declined to determine which version was correct, saying that was a matter for the criminal justice process.
The Board also noted that Eugene’s death was the second fatal incident involving a Nicco Movers vehicle within six months.
In January, another company vehicle, KDQ 655D, was involved in a crash along Thika Superhighway near Kenyatta University and Kahawa Sukari, in which a pedestrian died.
Beyond the fatalities, NTSA had raised several other safety concerns.
Its records showed that 30 Nicco Movers vehicles had been recorded travelling above the prescribed 80-kilometre-per-hour speed limit.
Another 11 vehicles were not transmitting speed-limiter data, one was operating without a speed limiter, while 10 had no speed-limiter records. Three vehicles also had expired inspection certificates.
The Tribunal said the evidence pointed to more than an “isolated misfortune”, citing the fatalities, speeding violations, speed-limiter problems and the inspection failures.
However, the Board found that NTSA went too far when it moved to completely revoke the company’s operating licence.
It said the regulator had other options, including grounding individual vehicles, re-testing drivers, conducting audits and suspending the licence.
“The Respondent’s decision revoking the Appellant’s PSV Operator Licence…is hereby set aside. In substitution thereof, the Appellant’s PSV Operator Licence is suspended with immediate effect,” the Tribunal ruled.
Nicco Movers has seven days to address the ten compliance concerns raised by NTSA.
If the company fails to comply, NTSA may issue a fresh notice to show cause after 14 days and could eventually revoke the operator’s licence.
The Tribunal also rejected the company’s argument that NTSA should have waited for criminal investigations into Eugene’s death to conclude.
It held that criminal proceedings and transport regulation serve different purposes, and NTSA has a duty to protect passengers without having to wait for a criminal conviction.
