The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has refuted claims of a shortage of number plates affecting the motor vehicle industry, a situation reported to have crippled sales and disrupted the cash flow for vehicle dealers.
NTSA asserts that the delays are due to the dealers themselves, who are currently collecting their plates from centres identified during the application process.
A local daily sparked concern on Friday, August 16, reporting that a shortage of number plates had struck the industry, leaving dealers with unsold vehicles and disrupting transactions that hinge on completed registrations.
However, NTSA took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to dismiss these claims, emphatically stating, “There is no shortage. Dealers are currently collecting their plates from the centres they identified during the application process.”
The industry has been reeling from multiple challenges, not least the transition of NTSA’s system to the eCitizen platform six months ago, which had already caused a bottleneck in the transfer of logbooks and new car registrations.
Now, with number plates reportedly in short supply, dealers are struggling to sell vehicles, further straining their cash flows.
Adding to their woes, dealers and buyers face the prospect of accumulating storage fees as unsold vehicles linger at container freight stations in Mombasa, a burden that could easily translate into higher costs for consumers.
The publication also highlighted that new car buyers who have already paid the required Ksh3,000 for their number plates are left in limbo, waiting for plates that appear to be out of reach.
The situation is unfolding against a backdrop of a spike in new motor vehicle registrations, with 54,204 listings recorded between January and March 2024, marking a 15.6 per cent increase from the previous year. This surge has only intensified the pressure on NTSA to manage the demand effectively.
June’s audit report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu unveiled a troubling scenario within NTSA, revealing a staggering backlog of critical documents, including 20,006 number plates, 17,474 motor vehicle logbooks, and 5,753 smart driving licences lying uncollected in regional offices.
The audit painted a picture of inefficiency, with some documents reportedly gathering dust for over five years, alongside a cache of expired drivers' licences.
The audit also exposed discrepancies between the system records and physical stocks, hinting at severe administrative lapses. While the NTSA’s system restricts collection to authorised personnel, the report noted that regional offices had allowed unauthorised individuals to retrieve items, exacerbating the disarray.
