A directive by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) that dealers must list all unregistered vehicles by Monday next week has placed the State agency in the eye of the storm.
Vehicle dealers have now turned the heat on the authority and other relevant agencies in the registration process, saying they are to blame for the rising number of unregistered vehicles on the roads.
What could be behind the rise in unregistered vehicles and those with Kenya Dealers plates?
Last week’s order by the NTSA brought to fore concerns that more and more un-registered vehicles are on Kenyans roads.
Dealers claim that rogue officials from different State agencies involved in clearing imported cars at the Port of Mombasa are illegally releasing un-registered vehicles.
They (dealers) have alleged that it takes as low as Sh10,000 for an unregistered vehicle to illegally leave the port of Mombasa.
Apart from NTSA, what other agencies are involved in vehicle registration?
One of the core functions of the NTSA is registration and licensing of motor vehicles, both new and second-hand units that are imported from markets such as Japan and the United Kingdom.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) via their customs department and their license Container Freight Station (CFS) operators, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) are also involved.
Once a vehicle arrives at the port of Mombasa, it is taken to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) for conformity tests. These (tests) are meant to ensure that it complies with the legal requirement that bars the importation of units aged more than eight years.
After the Kebs tests, the importer pays duty and then proceeds to the NTSA for a number plate allocation.
The last process is getting the port release order from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). This order allows the vehicle to leave the facility for the showrooms or car yards.
What does the law say about unregistered vehicles?
Section 6 of Traffic Act CAP 403 bars use of vehicles that are not registered, except those that are exempted from this requirement by the Cabinet secretary for Transport and Roads.
The Act says that any person caught in breach of the vehicle registration requirements is liable to a fine not exceeding Sh300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.
What is the cost of registering a vehicle?
Vehicles owners are allowed to pay for any one of the three number plates as per the law. The lowest fee is Sh2,050 for normal number plate.
However, this fee varies depending on the engine capacity and model of the vehicle. Those wishing to get a number plate of their choice such as KDD 777R pay Sh30,000 for the number plate.
The costliest number plate is the personalised one (where a person can have his or her name on the plate), which costs Sh1 million.
It takes a maximum of seven days to get a number plate after paying and completing all the required checks.
What are Kenya Dealers (KD) number plates?
These are number plates that vehicle dealers acquire to enable them move their imported units from the port of Mombasa to their showrooms and yards across the country.
KD number plates can be used all-year round provided that the dealer has paid the annual fee. However, they can only be used between 6am and 6pm, meaning that a vehicle with this number plate cannot move outside this time.
Have there been attempts to resolve this issue vehicles?
Car dealers have in the past written to the NTSA to push for a fee to be charged on each vehicle that leaves the port without registration.
The dealers have argued that this would enhance compliance on vehicle registrations besides offering the government a huge opportunity to raise millions of shillings every year.
What are some of the concerns linked to use of unregistered vehicles?
Use of un-registered vehicles has been linked to criminal activities such as terrorism and abductions.
For example, the car that terrorists used to launch the Dusit Hotel terrorist attack had been fraudulently registered, according to the NTSA.
