NAIROBI, Kenya – A deepening scandal has rocked the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) after whistleblower revelations exposed an entrenched bribery network within the agency’s driver licensing division.
The racket, allegedly run by senior officials, has turned driver testing into a lucrative black-market operation worth millions of shillings.
At the centre of the storm is Deputy Director Wilson Tuigong, who heads NTSA’s Driver Training and Testing Department.
Whistleblower emails sent to the agency in April and July accused Tuigong of orchestrating an elaborate “cash-for-license” scheme, where driving school instructors and examiners allegedly collected bribes to guarantee passing marks for unqualified learners.
However, instead of probing the allegations, NTSA reportedly moved against its own employees. Lucy Mulaa, John Masila, and John Mutiso, three staffers under Tuigong’s supervision, have been subjected to investigations and intimidation.
Sources indicate the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through Kabete Police Station, now seeks to charge the trio under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act for “publishing false information.”
The irony, insiders note, is that while the whistleblowers face prosecution, NTSA has itself acknowledged the existence of widespread corruption in its licensing operations.
“The department is bleeding money through unauthorized transactions,” a senior NTSA officer admitted off record, calling the internal witch-hunt “a cover-up to protect those higher up.”
Documents reviewed show how driving school operators in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakuru allegedly pay bribes ranging from Sh10,000 to Sh30,000 per candidate to ensure automatic certification, bypassing road safety standards.
Examiners, in turn, reportedly remit a share of the proceeds to senior officials.
Anti-corruption activists have condemned the move to charge whistleblowers. “This is a textbook case of retaliation against those trying to clean the system,” said Transparency International Kenya’s legal officer, Caroline Njeri, calling for an independent inquiry into NTSA’s leadership.
The scandal has ignited tensions within the agency, with factions of staff accusing the management of running a “state-sanctioned extortion ring.”
Calls are now mounting for Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to intervene and order a forensic audit of the driver testing and licensing process.
As investigations stall, thousands of Kenyan motorists remain victims of a system where integrity takes a back seat, and driving licenses, it seems, are still available to the highest bidder.
