The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has now announced that the manual driving licences that are currently being used by Kenyan motorists will be phased out, starting from May.
NTSA Director-General Francis Meja made the announcement on Thursday during the signing of the Sh2.1 Billion contract for digital driving licences.
The National Bank of Kenya has been contracted with the work of supplying the new licences that are expected to herald a new dawn in the Kenyan transport sector.
The digital licence will have a secure computer chip containing the driver’s information, which will only be readable through special electronic gadgets to be owned and managed by NTSA officials.
All traffic offences committed by a specific driver will also be recorded on the chip.
Meja added that the technology will encourage good driving habits and reduce the cost of motor vehicle insurance.
“We shall have a centralised database profiling driver behaviour where repeat offenders lose points to an extent of having their driving licences suspended temporarily or confiscated for good,” Meja stated.
He added that NTSA was in talks with insurance companies to facilitate a new premium pricing model that will partially rely on smart driving licences to enable them reward good drivers with lower premiums and raise those of bad drivers.
