Vehicle Importers are now pointing accusing fingers at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) over new number plates shortage.
Addressing the press on Thursday, April 28, the Car Importers Association stated that the new directives issued by NTSA have caused a crisis in the sector affecting their business and those seeking to buy new cars.
To address the crisis, the importers are calling on NTSA to revert to the old system of clearing vehicles as the new system has their clients to wait for over a month to receive their cars.
They further attributed the crisis to the shortage of the new number plates and a directive requiring every car to have a number plate before leaving the Port of Mombasa or any container freight station to a showroom.
"The new system is a total failure because our members are not getting services as they used to in the old system which was much friendly and the registration of our motor vehicles could be done as fast as possible," chairperson of the Car Importers Association Peter Otieno stated.
"If this system is not working, let them go to the old system. Let them allow us to remove the vehicles without numbers because they have never demonstrated that those removed without numbers are the ones being used in crime," Otieno added.
NTSA has been pushing for the full implementation and rollout of the new look number plates in the country.
Addressing the delay in the rollout of the digital number plates, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho disclosed the budget shortfall hampering the whole process. Kibicho stated that NTSA has a funding deficit of close to Ksh604 million which has hindered the much-anticipated introduction of the new number plates.
The funding gap has affected the procurement process which was supposed to be done in the financial year starting July 1, 2022.
However, the reforms have further spilled over affecting driving schools whose seven functions were suspended by NTSA in the latest move.
The authority noted that it was halting the licensing of driving schools, renewal of driving school licenses, and the licensing of driving school instructors.
Other services suspended were the renewal of driving school Instructor's licenses, Provisional Driving License (PDL) application for driver trainees, test booking for driving school instructors and driver trainees and the testing of driving school instructors and driver trainees.
The new directives are currently under review by the Senate.
