NAIROBI, Kenya — The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has eased concerns over its new mandatory vehicle inspection rules, announcing that private motorists will not face immediate enforcement as implementation of the regulations begins.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Authority clarified that traffic police have been directed not to demand proof of mandatory vehicle inspection from owners of private vehicles during roadside checks until further notice.
“During route checks, traffic officers shall not enforce the mandatory inspection requirement on private motor vehicle owners,” NTSA said.
The clarification follows widespread public concern after the Authority announced that annual inspections for private vehicles older than four years would commence on July 1 under a new road safety framework aimed at improving vehicle roadworthiness.
Although motorists are expected to book inspections through the NTSA services portal on the eCitizen platform, the Authority said enforcement will only begin once the implementation framework has been fully established.
“Information on implementation and enforcement of the abovementioned sections/rules shall be communicated to the public in due course,” the Authority stated.
The announcement offers temporary relief to thousands of private vehicle owners who had questioned how the new regulations would be enforced and whether they risked penalties immediately after the July 1 commencement date.
NTSA also announced a temporary reprieve for school transport operators and commercial service vehicle owners on several new technical requirements introduced under the 2026 regulations.
School transport operators will not be penalised for failing to install reflectorised red stop mechanical signal arms and telematic systems as required under Rules 13 and 14 of the Traffic (School Transport) Rules, 2026.
“School transport operators shall not be penalized for non-compliance with Rule 13 (Reflectorised red stop mechanical signal arms) and Rule 14 (Telematic system) of the Traffic (School Transport) Rules, 2026,” the Authority said.
Similarly, operators of commercial service vehicles will not face penalties for failing to install telematic systems required under Regulation 9(d) of the NTSA (Operations of Commercial Vehicles) Regulations, 2026.
“Commercial service vehicle operators shall not be penalised for non-compliance with paragraph d (Telematic system) – Regulation 9 of the NTSA (Operations of Commercial Vehicles) Regulations, 2026,” NTSA added.
The Authority said a separate communication will be issued before enforcement of those provisions begins.
However, NTSA maintained that school transport and commercial service vehicles must continue undergoing the mandatory inspections at designated NTSA inspection centres and display valid inspection stickers before operating on public roads, as required under existing regulations.
The Authority also cautioned Kenyans against relying on misinformation circulating on social media regarding the new inspection framework.
“The Authority has noted the circulation of inaccurate and misleading information regarding motor vehicle inspection. We strongly urge the public to rely exclusively on official communication issued directly by the Authority through its official channels/platforms,” the statement said.