The Authority announced that private vehicles older than four years will be subjected to mandatory annual inspections from July 1 at Ksh.2,000 per vehicle, while motorcycles will also attract compulsory inspection charges.
Amid public uproar, NTSA stated that inspections across various categories of motor vehicles will vary, urging the public to steer clear of circulating misleading information.
For private motor vehicle owners, traffic officers will not enforce the mandatory inspection requirement during routine checks.
Likewise, school transport operators and commercial service vehicle operators shall not be penalized for non-compliance.
“Information on implementation and enforcement of the above mentioned sections/rules shall be communicated to the public in due course,” the Authority noted in a statement.
The new inspection regulations will also apply to locally assembled vehicles, vehicles involved in accidents and vehicles that have undergone structural or mechanical modifications.
According to NTSA, Kenya has more than six million registered vehicles and based on the charges, the government seeks to collect at least Ksh.12 billion annually if all registered vehicles fell under the categories and paid the set Ksh.1,000 booking fee and Ksh.1,000 inspection fee.
NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa has said the annual inspection requirement is already anchored in law but acknowledged that the 12-month interval may not be sufficient for vehicles that spend most of their time on the road.
He also revealed that NTSA is in the process of operationalising private vehicle inspection centres to boost capacity.
Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang’i and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua have criticized the move, saying it is insensitive to the economic realities facing citizens amid soaring fuel prices, insurance premiums, multiple taxes and the cost of living.
Matiang’i has called for the suspension of the policy’s implementation until it is subjected to public scrutiny to answer a myriad of questions.
He said that clarity must be provided on the number of vehicles set to be affected, the expected annual revenue collection, evidence that it will reduce road accidents and whether NTSA currently has capacity to inspect millions of motorists without causing delays.
“What safeguards have been put in place to ensure that this programme does not become another avenue for rent-seeking and harassment of motorists?” he posed in a statement on Sunday.
