Motorists risk being locked out of key vehicle and driver services after the transportation sector regulator rolled out a new automated instant traffic fines system that blocks transactions for drivers or vehicles with unpaid penalties after seven days.
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) announced on Monday that its Instant Fines Traffic Management System is now operational and will automatically issue traffic violation notifications to motorists via SMS where applicable.
“This process is fully automated and operates without human intervention, ensuring greater transparency, efficiency, and accountability in traffic enforcement,” wrote NTSA Director-General Nashon Kondiwa in a public notice.
“Failure to settle the fine due within the seven-day period will result in the amount due earning interest. In addition, the vehicle or the driver with a pending fine will not be able to transact on NTSA service platforms until the fine is settled.”
Motorists or vehicles with pending penalties will also be unable to access services on NTSA platforms until the fines are cleared, the regulator added.
The move means defaulting drivers will be locked out of critical services such as driving licence renewal, vehicle ownership transfers, and other transactions on NTSA platforms, effectively grounding vehicles until the penalties are settled.
NTSA had on February 24 indicated that offending motorists would pay fines through USSD codes, mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa, or banking channels, but on Monday, it said all fines issued through the system would be settled through the branch network of KCB Group.
The rollout comes after the government signed a 21-year public-private partnership project deal with KCB Bank Kenya and Pesa Print, aimed at curbing speeding and rising fatalities on Kenyan roads.
The initiative aims at installing a nationwide network of smart speed cameras, comprising 700 fixed cameras to be mounted at strategic locations along major highways and high-risk corridors, and 300 mobile units that will be deployed flexibly to target speeding hotspots and accident-prone zones.
The cameras will automatically detect traffic offences and link them to a driver’s licence profile under NTSA’s merit and demerit points system, with the penalties processed electronically through the instant fines platform.
Motorists caught breaking traffic rules will face prescribed instant fines for offences such as speeding (up to Sh10,000), failure to wear seat belts (Sh500), using a mobile phone while driving (Sh2,000), and operating vehicles without valid inspection certificates (Sh10,000), among other violations listed under the Traffic (Minor Offences) Rules.
Initial investment in the project is estimated at Sh42 billion over the first two to three years, funded through private debt and equity provided by the KCB-led consortium, which will finance, deploy, and maintain the enforcement and licensing infrastructure.
It marks one of the most ambitious technology-driven enforcement reforms ever attempted in Kenya’s transport sector.
