The National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) Wednesday announced it would commence inspecting vehicles that are more than four years old from the date of manufacture on Kenyan roads.
In a letter signed by Interior and Citizen Services PS Paul Famba, all vehicles regardless of ownership will be inspected in line with Section 16 (2) of the Traffic Act.
The PS issued the memo to all heads of departments saying NTSA will enforce Section 16 (2) of the Traffic Act that requires inspection of every vehicle above four years from the date of manufacture regardless of ownership.
“The Act specifically provides that every vehicle more than four years old from the recorded date of manufacture shall be subjected to inspection by the motor vehicle inspection unit,” he said in the memo dated May 10.
In 2019, NTSA issued tough rules on the motor vehicle inspection regulations in an effort to tame perennial road carnage.
They were:
1. All private cars that are more than four years will have to undergo an inspection test after every two years.
2. All driving school vehicles, commercial vehicles, school buses, and public service vehicles shall undergo a pre-registration inspection and an annual periodic vehicle inspection thereafter.
3. All vehicles that have been involved in accidents may be subject to motor vehicle inspection.
4. All salvage vehicles shall undergo a salvage motor vehicle inspection after the necessary repairs and upgrades are carried out and an annual periodic inspection thereafter.
5. Any vehicle that has undergone changes in the length, height, width, maximum payload, vehicle color, engine swap, and other major structural or mechanical changes shall be subject to a modification inspection.
This was after the authority had revoked licenses for 51 driving schools.
This was after a revalidation exercise that aimed to weed out driving schools that operate without the requirements of the Authority.
They are stated in Section Four, part 2 (i) and (j) of the National Transport and Safety Authority Act, 2012 that states:
“(The Authority shall) establish systems and procedures for, and oversee the training, testing and licensing of drivers; (j) formulate and review the curriculum of driving schools.”
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Documents submitted by the driving schools were evaluated to determine their compliance levels, a statement from NTSA said.
The latest move is likely to cause trouble for motorists as there exist only a limited number of approved inspection centres in the country.
Some motorists also fear authorities may use this rule to harass and extort money from them.
NTSA said the owner of a vehicle that is required to be inspected shall before the inspection is carried out, pay to a licensing officer the fee prescribed, therefore.
In addition to the rules, NTSA also added that anyone who has an interest in becoming a vehicle inspector will have to make an application to them.
He/she will only be approved if they meet all the requirements that have been set out in the regulation.
The document also read that- “A privately-owned vehicle inspection center licence shall only authorize use as the inspection center the premises named therein. No other premises shall be considered to be so authorized by such a licence.”
In case the vehicle being inspected does not meet the standards outlined in the regulations, no inspection certificate will be issued to the owner of the car.
According to NTSA, a motorcycle costs Sh1,300, three-wheelers and vehicles up to 3000cc Sh2,600, vehicles over 3000cc Sh3,900, trailers up to five tonnes Sh2,000, trailers over five tonnes and heavy commercial vehicles Sh4,600.
Booking for inspection will be done online through the NTSA account.
