The government has set tough measures to enforce the registration of the digital number plates which were unveiled on Tuesday, August 30.
To ensure every motorist in the country adheres to the transition from the old plates, the traffic police department will implement the Traffic Act Chapter 403 for total compliance.
According to the Act, failure to adhere to the rule will attract a fine of up to Ksh20,000 or a jail term not exceeding six months.
"Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on first conviction to a fine not exceeding Ksh20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months," Reads the Traffic Act, 2022.
The Act further states that on each subsequent conviction there shall be a fine not exceeding Ksh 30,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both.
The new system of smart number plates was unveiled by the Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia alongside his Interior counterpart Dr. Fred Matiang'i.
Acquiring a digital plate, however, will require a motorist to part with Ksh3,000 per vehicle.
While unveiling the new system, CS Macharia revealed that there are 4.8 million registered vehicles in the country, up from 3.2 million in 2021.
This would mean that the state will collect up to Ksh14.4 billion in 18 months, the date which has been set as deadline to comply with the new plates, effective September 1.
The smart plates, will be identifiable to law enforcement officers and will store information such as year of manufacturer, type and colour of vehicle, engine number, transmission type, date and place of manufacture, and insurance details.
CS Matiang'i, on the other hand, stated that the plates will be applicable to all automobiles including the three-wheelers whether private or state-owned.
Smart number plates are fixed with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchip onto a sticker only identifiable by traffic police officers to integrate information between the plate and traffic lights.
One of the major reasons the state has pushed for the implementation of the smart plates was to tame rampant duplication of existing old number plates in a bid to evade taxes.
