Four young mechanics from Nyeri County discovered a lucrative business from the new digital number plates unveiled by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) towards the end of 2022.
The team is strategically situated outside the Huduma Centres where they can easily land clients after motorists pick up their plates.
According to the founder of the group, inspiration for the venture emanated during a visit to the Huduma Centre when he noticed motorists arrived with mechanics to replace the old number plates with new ones.
He was intrigued and offered to help one of the motorists and he got Ksh500 as gratitude. Later on, he convinced his friends who started the business.
On a good day, they each can service five cars at Ksh500 per vehicle allowing them to go home with Ksh2,500 per day.
According to the young men who work as trained mechanics, they are looking into adding more services for motorists including offering frames for the plates.
They explained that frames cost about Ksh800 and they sell to the motorists at Ksh1,000 adding to their daily income.
"So far, this current job has enabled us to cater for our expenses. We are not sure how long we are going to be stationed here, but we will continue to make good use of this opportunity as we wait for our dream jobs,” one of the men told KNA.
The young men noted they were focused on utilising the opportunity before the time duration given by the government to motorists to switch their plates lapses.
After they were rolled out in October 2022, NTSA gave motorists 18 months to replace their old number plates with new plates that have added security features.
Each motorist is charged Ksh3,000 for the digital plate by NTSA and awaits at least seven days to collect the plate.
Speaking at the launch, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i noted that the move was to address the security of the country and improve transparency.
"Let us obey and get it done within those 18 months. Issuance of new plates will begin with newly registered vehicles from the KDK series," he added.
According to the Traffic Act 2022, anyone who fails to replace the plates within the stipulated time will be fined Ksh20,000 or imprisoned for less than three months.
