The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is seeking to halt one of its services in Mombasa in an effort to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
Daily Nation was the first to report that the transport sector regulator was seeking permission to stop the issuance of car number plates and stickers at Mombasa Container Freight Stations.
The institution explained that it had resorted to the move in an effort to reduce the exposure to the virus hence curbing its spread.
When approved, the decision will be a blow to the transport industry because second hand imported cars account for 85% of all cars on Kenyan roads.
The number of imported cars exceeds over 80,000 a year according to a report by Reuters placing 2017 imports at 86,626 vehicles totalling to Ksh60 billion.
In the first three months of 2019, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed that the country shipped in 20,324 units at a cost of Ksh19 billion.
The data was an increase from 19,433 vehicles that were imported in a similar period in 2018.
In 2019, NTSA revealed that 90,000 vehicles get into Nairobi roads every year.
On Monday, March 16, around the time when the first Covid-19 case was reported in Kenya, the institution moved to halt some services including issuance of the new digital driving licences, driving tests and motor vehicle inspection services
The institution also noted that motorists who had already applied for the licences would not be able to collect the smart driving licenses.
“We wish to inform the public that in line with the directives of the national emergency and response committee on Coronavirus that effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all current smart driving licence bookings have been rescheduled.
“Collection of logbooks, PSV badges, number plates, smart driving licence, driver testing and motor vehicle inspection have been suspended until further notice," read the notice in part.
