The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has on Friday announced that private and imported vehicles will be inspected at the inspection centers after every two years.
The agency has come up with regulations that will help them to achieve the goal of inspecting over three million vehicles.
Speaking during the Stakeholder Consultation Forum, on Draft Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations at Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, NTSA Chairman of Transport and Technical Committee, Job Chirchir said that the move is meant to address congestion that has been an order of the day.
“All we want is to ensure our drivers are up to date with the emerging trends and challenges on our roads and ways to cope with the challenges,” said Chirchir.
He said that NTSA will set up centers in all 47 counties, in the country with regulatiuons having been drawn for them.
The regulations state that all commercial vehicles, public service vehicles and school buses shall undergo a pre-registration inspection before registration and an annual periodic motor vehicle inspection thereafter.
They also state that, where a vehicle fails an inspection, the owner of the vehicle shall cause all necessary repairs to be made, and within 14 days of the date of rejection, the owners shall return the vehicle for re-inspection to the same Centre at no extra cost.
The NTSA issued a new inspection charges, whereby, inspection of motorcycles will be charged at Sh.1, 300, inspection of three wheelers and vehicles up to 3000cc cost Sh.2, 600, inspection of trailers up to five tons cost Sh.2, 000 and inspection of heavy commercial vehicles over five tons cost Sh.4, 600.
However, Matatu Transport Vehicle Association Chairman, Benson Mwenda said that NTSA did not consult with them, before issuing the regulations.
“The inspection charges that have been issued are too expensive for Matatu owners,” said Mwenda.
By Keziah Amuli / Joseph Ng’ang’a
