The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended mandatory enforcement of annual inspections for private vehicles.
The announcement comes days after public concern and legal challenges emerged over the planned rollout of the new inspection framework.
Speaking during an interview on Monday, NTSA director general Nashon Kondiwa said vehicle inspections will begin from July 1 but compliance will not immediately be compulsory for private motorists.
“Inspections begin almost immediately from tomorrow (July 1). If you want to bring your vehicle for inspection, you can bring it to NTSA inspection centres,” Kondiwa said.
He, however, clarified that mandatory enforcement will be deferred until the authority expands its inspection capacity across the country.
“The mandatory requirement is what we will postpone until we have enough inspection centres. We intend to have 47 inspection centres by December this year,” he said.
According to Kondiwa, NTSA also plans to license 70 privately operated inspection centres to support the expansion and improve access to inspection services.
He said mandatory inspection requirements will remain in place only for vehicles whose inspection is tied to licensing requirements.
“There will be no mandatory enforcement except for the vehicles that require inspection for the sake of licensing, and that is commercial and PSV,” he said.
The clarification signals a shift from earlier communication that had indicated annual inspections for private vehicles older than four years would commence from July 1, 2026 under a broader road safety framework.
Initially, NTSA had announced that school transport and commercial service vehicles would continue undergoing inspections at NTSA centres and would be required to display valid inspection stickers before being allowed to operate on public roads.
The authority had also indicated that annual inspections would gradually be extended to cover other categories of motor vehicles as part of efforts to improve roadworthiness and reduce accidents linked to vehicle condition.
However, following public debate and widespread circulation of differing interpretations of the policy, NTSA issued a statement urging motorists to rely only on official communication.
“The authority has noted the circulation of inaccurate and misleading information regarding motor vehicle inspection. We strongly urge the public to rely exclusively on official communication issued directly by the Authority through its official channels/platforms,” NTSA clarified.
It said details on implementation timelines and enforcement of the new inspection rules would be communicated at a later date.
The latest position comes amid ongoing litigation of the policy, with at least three court cases already filed challenging the agency’s directives.
The cases raise concerns over implementation, its legality and the readiness of infrastructure to support nationwide inspections.
