EDITORIAL: Shortage of vehicle number plates worrying

Reports that a shortage of vehicle number plates is delaying the clearance of imported cards at the Port of Mombasa are worrying.

More than 6,000 second-hand vehicles are still being held at container freight stations in Mombasa.

The shortage is not only unacceptable, but it is also proving quite costly as the owners are being charged Sh3,000 per day for delayed clearance.

Dealers are also being charged storage charges while many who had taken bank loans to import the units are facing immense challenges as they have to   service the loans without fail. Why the vehicle owners are being punished for a mistake that is not theirs is puzzling indeed.

According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, the shortage is the result of reduced supply amid an increase in demand. It says that the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, where number plates are made by prisoners, has not been able to meet the demand for new registration plates.

The number plates are made by hand, which is a slow process.

READ: Shortage of number plates delays new car registration

A move to roll out new generation number plates has encountered tendering hiccups. That would be a feasible solution to meet the increasing imports of vehicles.

We aver that in order to avoid such hiccups in future there is need to review the law that mandates the Prison Department to make the plates.

There ought to be consequences if a  manufacturer is unable to meet the laid down production targets. Given that it is mandatory for second-hand vehicles to leave the port with registration plates unlike new vehicles, the backlog is bound to affect many importers.

The rule was introduced to curb tax evasion by traders through dumping of vehicles meant for our landlocked neighbours. A tenable solution that will ease the supply of number plates to avoid such a backlog ought to be found quickly.