Kenyans online on Saturday, June 10, pointed out several glaring flaws in the features and acquisition process of the National Transport and Safety Authority's (NTSA) new digital number plates.
A section of the users lamented that the new fonts of the number plates took time to be detected by parking scanners, causing delays at the exits.
Motorists pointed out that they were forced to visit the parking offices to correct the anomaly.
"The new fonts being misread by parking scanners at malls leads to delays of one's departure and being forced to visit the parking offices to correct the anomaly," Robert Gitau noted.
Others revealed that they had to tag along mechanics to replace the old number plates with new ones. Several mechanics, however, capitalised on this market niche by strategically placing their businesses outside Huduma Centres to easily land clients.
Some motorists also aired their concerns over falling prey to misleading reports as they had to pay extra charges to access the service.
On May 31, 2023, speculations surfaced online that prices increased by Ksh700 with drivers lamenting why they had to pay extra charges to access the service.
NTSA, in a statement, refuted the claims and reiterated that the prices were maintained at Ksh3,050.
Other motorists urged NTSA to clarify the issuance process of the new reflective number plates. For instance, the majority of queries on NTSA's official page involved users enquiring about the process after wrongly uploading the documents.
"Wish there was more clarity on the issuance of new generation number plates. Some of us have been waiting since January 2023 and resigned to the fact it is not easy as it seems," George Kiptalam noted.
One of the most dire cases is the delay in the process of acquiring the plates with several lamenting that it took months before they could access the new plates.
Application Process
NTSA revealed a nine-step process on their official website which includes visiting the Authority's official website and selecting vehicle registration.
Click Apply for reflective number plates and select the vehicle you are applying the plates for. Select the preferred method of receiving communication from NTSA, either text or email.
Choose the specific format; either square or oblong. Upload the original logbooks, old font and rear plates in PDF format to enable the new generation number plates.
Indicate the collection centre and enter your National Identification Number (ID). The online system will then prompt you to pay Ksh3,050.
Once done, you will receive a text message when the new generation number plate will be ready. The process is slated to take seven working days to acquire the new number plates.
