NAIROBI, Kenya — The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has defended its ongoing crackdown on the misuse of Kenya Dealer (KD) number plates, arguing that stricter controls are necessary to enhance vehicle traceability and strengthen national security.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s Monday Report, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa dismissed criticism from motor vehicle dealers, saying the authority’s concern is not with licensed dealers but with the widespread abuse and trading of dealer plates.
“The issue is not the dealers. The issue is that these dealers’ plates were being traded on, and therefore, you could not even trace who had used these plates or not,” Kondiwa said.
KD plates are temporary registration plates issued to licensed vehicle dealers to facilitate the movement and testing of vehicles that have not yet been formally registered. According to NTSA, the system has increasingly been exploited in ways that undermine accountability and law enforcement efforts.
Kondiwa explained that because KD plates are not permanently tied to a specific vehicle, they cannot reliably be used to identify a particular car involved in a traffic offence or security incident.
“Remember, they are used on vehicles that are not registered. KD plates are not unique. The car that has the KD plate cannot be used to identify the car,” he said.
The NTSA chief said some dealers have been pushing for greater flexibility in the use of the plates, but warned that loosening restrictions would create significant security vulnerabilities.
“What these dealers are asking is that we should open it so that any vehicle can use any KD plate and move, and that is the problem because if we had a security issue, we could not trace who used the plate,” he added.
The dispute comes as NTSA continues broader reforms aimed at improving regulation and accountability within the transport sector. The authority has recently intensified efforts to streamline vehicle registration processes and improve tracking systems amid concerns over fraud and criminal misuse of motor vehicles.
Kondiwa also addressed concerns over delays in the issuance of vehicle number plates, revealing that NTSA inherited a substantial backlog when he assumed office.
“Since I became DG, I have tried to clean up the backlog of plates, which I found to be over 30,000 plates that Kenyans have paid for but have never been printed,” he said.
He attributed the delays partly to cash flow challenges but noted that significant progress had been made in reducing the backlog.
“As we speak, I have 5,000 in three months, and this has impacted the cash flows and delays that we are currently experiencing, though we will sort it out within the next three days,” Kondiwa said.
The regulator maintains that tighter controls on KD plates are necessary to ensure accountability in the motor vehicle sector and to support security agencies in tracking vehicles where necessary.
