Nicco Movers has secured another temporary lifeline after the High Court in Nairobi halted the enforcement of a tribunal decision suspending the companyβs Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence over serious road-safety and compliance concerns.
Justice Janet Mulwa issued the orders on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, after the transport operator challenged a decision by the Transport Licensing Appeals Board (TLAB) delivered on August 31.
The judge certified the matter as urgent and directed Nicco Movers, through its lawyer Danstan Omari, to serve the respondents with the petition within 24 hours. The respondents have seven days to file their responses.
Justice Mulwa subsequently stayed the execution of the tribunal’s judgment and all consequential orders until September 22, when the High Court is expected to give further directions.
The order effectively means Nicco Movers can continue operating for the time being, pending the court’s further consideration of the dispute.
Tribunal had ordered immediate suspension
The High Court intervention came just a day after TLAB suspended Nicco Movers’ PSV operator licence with immediate effect.
The tribunal overturned an earlier decision by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to revoke the operator’s licence, but replaced it with an immediate suspension after finding that the company had failed to demonstrate adequate compliance with road-safety requirements.
The tribunal gave the operator seven days to address 10 compliance concerns identified by NTSA.
The findings followed an inspection of 51 vehicles associated with Nicco Movers.
Only six vehicles passed the inspection, while 45 failed to meet the required safety standards. The deficiencies included faulty or missing passenger seat belts, defective doors and window locks, faulty lights and horns, damaged bodywork and missing emergency equipment.
NTSA also reported that 30 vehicles linked to the operator had been recorded travelling above the mandatory 80 kilometres per hour speed limit.
Another 11 vehicles were reportedly not transmitting speed-limiter data, while other vehicles lacked speed-limit records, functional speed limiters or valid inspection certificates
Two fatal incidents put operator under scrutiny
The regulatory action followed two fatal incidents involving vehicles operating under the Nicco Movers licence.
The first occurred on January 11, 2026, when a Nicco Movers vehicle was involved in a crash near Kenyatta University and Kahawa Sukari along Thika Superhighway. A pedestrian was killed in the incident.
The second incident occurred on June 5, 2026, when 19-year-old Eugene Mutivi Mutuku, a Kenya Medical Training College intern, fell from a Nicco Movers vehicle near Waumini Radio Station along Thika Road.
The circumstances surrounding Mutuku’s death remain disputed.
His family alleged that he was pushed from the moving vehicle, while Nicco Movers maintained that he jumped. The licensing tribunal made clear that it was not determining criminal liability, noting that regulatory proceedings and criminal proceedings serve different purposes.
NTSA first revoked the licence
Following the June incident, NTSA moved to revoke Nicco Movers’ operator licence.
In its June 12 communication, the authority said it had revoked the licence because of what it described as significant safety and compliance deficiencies that posed a risk to road users.
However, Nicco Movers challenged the decision before the Transport Licensing Appeals Tribunal.
On June 25, the tribunal issued interim orders suspending the implementation of NTSA’s revocation, allowing the operator to resume services while its appeal was being considered.
That legal battle eventually led to the August 31 ruling in which the tribunal set aside NTSA’s revocation but imposed its own suspension.
The latest High Court order has now temporarily frozen that suspension.
Safety concerns remain at the centre
Although the High Court has granted Nicco Movers temporary relief, the order does not amount to a final determination that the operator complied with all safety requirements.
The court is yet to hear and determine the substantive challenge to the tribunal’s decision.
The inspection findings remain a central part of the regulatory dispute, particularly the fact that 45 of 51 inspected vehicles failed to meet the prescribed standards.
For passengers and road-safety advocates, the case has therefore raised wider questions about fleet inspection, speed-limit compliance, vehicle maintenance and the responsibility of public transport operators to protect passengers and other road users.
A temporary reprieve, not the end of the case
The latest ruling gives Nicco Movers additional time to remain on the road, but the legal and regulatory issues surrounding its licence remain unresolved.
The High Court is scheduled to issue further directions on September 22, potentially setting the course for the next stage of the dispute.
For now, the operator has avoided an immediate shutdown.
But with the tribunal having identified widespread safety deficiencies across its fleet and NTSA maintaining its regulatory concerns, Nicco Movers still faces a significant test to demonstrate that its vehicles and operations meet the safety standards required of a public service transport operator.
The case also places renewed attention on Kenya’s public transport sector, where regulators face the difficult task of enforcing safety standards while ensuring that disputes over licences do not disrupt essential commuter services.
For Nicco Movers, Wednesday’s court order provides breathing space.
Whether that reprieve becomes a longer-term victory will depend on what happens when the High Court takes up the matter again on September 22.
