In an interview, NTSA Director General Francis Meja said use of dashcams is legal.
A survey by the Sunday Nation, indicates that online malls as well as standalone shops are offering dashcams to motorists, as well as aftersale services, to help customers link their gadgets to monitors within their offices.
Others have had the same linked to security service companies.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has welcomed increased use of dashboard cameras (dashcams), saying they enhance personal security and safety on the roads.
The gadgets can be used for security purposes as well as to provide data in case of carjacking or accidents. Their recordings are an important source of information that could also be used to fight roadside bribery, particularly in the matatu industry.
In an interview, NTSA Director General Francis Meja said use of dashcams is legal.
“There is no law violated when a motorist installs a dashcam; in fact it is a good addition to a vehicle’s security features but, as of now, there is no requirement for motorists to install or not instal them,” he said.
A survey by the Sunday Nation, indicates that online malls as well as standalone shops are offering dashcams to motorists, as well as aftersale services, to help customers link their gadgets to monitors within their offices. Others have had the same linked to security service companies.
A number of companies are looking into ways of linking the covert cameras to Wi-Fi systems within homes or offices to monitor their vehicles.
Some matatu operators plying various routes have also installed cameras aimed at helping them identify passengers using their services and those out to cause chaos.
“It helps us alert the driver when a carjacking is about to happen. This has happened as a deterrent measure since many criminals hardly want to be identified on camera,” said matatu driver Peter Omulo who plies the Mathare-Nairobi route.
The monitors are connected to data recorders that could be reviewed later if need be.
“This is good forward-thinking. Kenyans should embrace such technologies that will also help nab traffic offenders,” said Mr Meja.
He said NTSA had initiated a social media campaign where Kenyans are encouraged to snap and take video-clips of errant motorists that should be sent to NTSA’s social media handles for action.
An emerging trend is the installation of hidden cameras that capture occupants of a motor vehicle when it starts moving until it stops.
The recording is then automatically relayed to a cloud-based database linked to security service companies or local firms as well as to individual recorders located at the home of vehicle owners.
In other countries, dashcams and their data recorders are mandatory on motor vehicles.
Mr Meja said dashcam use was also good for recording scenery, which could be posted online to market Kenya to the world.
They could also be used to deter roadside bribery involving motorists and traffic police officers.
