When a person buys a car, the original owner should avail themselves to initiate the transfer of ownership. But there are cases where, for one reason or the other, the original owner is not available to do that or is uncooperative. In the event this happens, one should not worry. There is an alternative way to achieve this.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) says when the original owner of the car is not available, the buyer can initiate what it calls an alternative or forced transfer, a procedure for transferring vehicle ownership in Kenya allowed in special circumstances.
One can only engage in alternative or forced transfer after legally acquiring a vehicle, according to the NTSA in a statement on Friday, May 16.
"At this stage, one is allowed to do the transfer themselves through this process, whose first step includes logging into the E-Citizen account and selecting the 'NTSA Service Portal'," the agency said.
After selecting 'NTSA Service Portal', one should then go to the 'Services' and select 'Alternative/Forced Transfer'. After that, the applicant is expected to fill in the required information, after which they should select the type of alternative transfer.
After filling in the information, one is expected to attach original, clear, and coloured scanned documents combined as a single PDF file, then indicate the collection centre. An ID number of the person authorised to collect the logbook should also be provided, after which you click the 'Submit' button. One is then expected to make payments for the transfer application and inspection services.
After making payments, the applicant is expected to wait for seven days, during which verifications will be done. At the end of the seven days, one is expected to log in to their account and view the inspection booking prompt under notifications.
"Select the preferred centre and date. Present the vehicle for inspection and present the original documents to the identified logbook collection centre. Once the transfer is approved, the buyer is notified," said NTSA.
According to NTSA, in cases where the vehicle owner is deceased, the transfer process requires the beneficiary to submit several documents to NTSA. These documents include a death certificate, a court-issued Grant of Letters of Administration or Probate, the original logbook, or a police abstract if the logbook is missing.
A properly filled Form C, a tape lift report from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to verify the vehicle's chassis and engine numbers, an affidavit before a magistrate or judge, and copies of identification and KRA PIN certificates for both the deceased and the beneficiary are also listed as documents that must be provided by the applicant.
Form C is an application form used by the NTSA in Kenya for transferring ownership of a motor vehicle.
The new owner must also have an active Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) account to ease the transfer process.
NTSA allows for a forced transfer in situations where the previous owner is missing or uncooperative.
The applicant must provide a request letter for alternative transfer, the original logbook or a police abstract and Form XI if the logbook is missing, a properly filled Form C, a tape lift report, an affidavit, copies of identification and KRA PIN certificates for both the new and previous owners, and a court order declaring the previous owner missing.
As with other transfers, the new owner must have an active TIMS account.
For vehicles acquired through auctions, the buyer must submit a certificate of sale from the auctioneer, the original logbook, a properly filled Form C, and pay the applicable transfer fees based on the vehicle's engine capacity.
Upon successful verification and payment, NTSA will issue a new logbook in the name of the new owner.
These alternative procedures ensure that vehicle ownership can be legally and efficiently transferred even in hard situations, maintaining the integrity of vehicle records and ownership rights in Kenya.
