New South Sudan number plates availed, old ones invalidated

• NTSA plans to impound all vehicles having the nullified South Sudan registration series
• A new series of nationalized country code SSD have been availed as the only recognized number plates.
• The government has introduced a unified country code, the SSD series.

In a memo dated November 7, 2017 from NTSA Operations Manager, Bora Guyo, the transport authority bans number plate series CE, EE, SSJS, UNS, WS and NBGS. Since 2005, South Sudan has had varied registration codes for its ten states until March 2017 when the government introduced a unified country code, the SSD series.

The rise of such foreign-registered vehicles at border towns and across the country has been attributed to the evasion of higher taxation and age limits on car imports in Kenya. Taxes in Kenya include 25 per cent (duty), 20 per cent (excise duty) and 16 (VAT).

 Importers equally have to pay 2.25 per cent (Import declaration fee) motor vehicles registration fee and Railway Development Levy. This, coupled with a limitation to only import cars manufactured in the past eight years has made units cleared at the port of Mombasa more expensive than in neighboring countries.

NTSA plans to impound all vehicles having the nullified South Sudan registration series.

As a result, a new series of nationalized country code SSD have been availed as the only recognized number plates.

Implementation of the new registration will begin from December 13, 2017.