Counties get ministry nod for unique car number plates

The Transport ministry has yielded to pressure from governors and offered the 47 counties unique car number plates.

The ministry on Friday gazetted the new plates that will see each of the devolved units given a unique number that will be blue in shade and sit on white background.

Mombasa County will have the number 01 before CG 001A, Kwale 02 CG 001A, Nairobi (47 CG 001A), Kisumu (42 CG 001A), Nakuru (32 CG 001A), Machakos (16 CG 001A), and Uasin Gishu (27 CG 001A).

This will replace the green number plates that were inherited from defunct local authorities that county chiefs had opposed despite the Registrar of Motor Vehicles having in place the old models to fix in the new cars being bought by the governors.

“Governors wanted a break from the green number plates associated with (city and town) councils,” said Transport secretary Michael Kamau in a phone interview.

“We thought it wise to make the changes given that we are in a new constitutional dispensation. The plates will have a white background with blue text.”

Mr Kamau said the counties will be given time to comply with new car plates.

The bulk of the new county vehicles, especially those used by county executive officials, have private number plates.

The changes in the car plates come in a period when the counties have stepped up their purchase of cars.

New cars sales jumped 49.9 per cent in the quarter ended March to 4,223 units, buoyed by demand from governors and the construction sector.

Auto dealers are among businesses expanding their sales networks to the counties as they prepare to cash in on increased demand from the devolved units and businesses.

The 47 counties control an annual budget of more than Sh200 billion.

While the State has agreed to the governors’ plea on car plates, MPs have stripped the county chiefs the right to fly the national flag on their vehicles.