The Motorists Association of Kenya has protested the government's move to introduce mandatory inspection of private vehicles, terming it evil and unjustified.
The Association, in a statement on Tuesday, June 24, argued that the mandatory inspection of private vehicles was exploitative and disregarded the economic agony already borne by vehicle owners.
It went ahead to criticise the current inspection regime for commercial vehicles, terming it a farce. According to the Association, over 90 per cent of commercial vehicles received inspection stickers without undergoing actual inspection.
"This proposal is not only unjustified but also stands as a testament to shameless greed and an unrestrained appetite to squeeze Kenyan motorists dry, without conscience or care for the economic agony already borne by vehicle owners," the motorists lamented.
"It is a revenue-collection spectacle rife with corruption and backdoor dealings. Now, inspired by this lucrative chaos, conspirators within the government seek to replicate this circus at the expense of law-abiding private vehicle owners," they added.
The motorists further dismissed allegations that private vehicles were the leading contributors of road accidents in Kenya, stating that most accidents were due to driver error, particularly by commercial vehicle drivers.
It also attributed the surging road crashes to the government's negligence in dealing with deadly potholes, absent signage, unmarked bumps and single-carriage highways.
"These are the real killers, yet the same government dismisses them as mere black spots instead of accepting blame for sloppy road design and maintenance," the Association noted.
While expressing their outrage, the motorists accused the Transport Ministry of occasionally ignoring their grievances despite repeated calls for traffic reforms.
To address the matter, the motorists demanded the immediate suspension of what they termed as an illegal, immoral proposal by the government.
The latest demand comes a week after the Ministry of Transport gazetted the Traffic and Transport regulations 2025, which introduced annual inspection tests for private vehicles over 4 years from the date of registration.
In the gazette notice dated June 18, the Ministry of Transport also sought the standardisation of the motor vehicle inspection process and the introduction of penalties for non-compliance.
