The government has suspended the implementation of a provision in the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026, which prohibits preaching and hawking in moving public and commercial vehicles.
The decision follows public debate over the regulation, particularly concerns about its potential impact on religious expression and evangelism in commercial vehicles.
The restriction is contained in Regulation 141 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026, Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2519, which prohibits causing or permitting a nuisance, including preaching and hawking, in a public or commercial vehicle while it is in motion.
Under the provision, offenders risk a fine of between 10 and 50 penalty units, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both.
The regulation has attracted attention from religious leaders and other stakeholders, with concerns raised about how its enforcement could affect preaching activities commonly undertaken by evangelists in commercial buses.
The suspension temporarily halts the implementation of the contentious provision as discussions over its implications continue.
However, it remains unclear whether the government intends to review the regulation or introduce changes to how the provision will be enforced.
