Inside NTSA's Sh42b e-driving licenses, instant fines system

Joint Operation involving Traffic Police officers and NTSA officials in a crackdown on unroadworthy vehicles and Motorcycles along Langata road. [File, Standard] The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is gearing up for the rollout of the smart driving license project that is expected to reduce the timeline for production of licenses to 48 hours. It will also facilitate the implementation of instant fines for minor traffic offences. The Sh42 billion project to modernise driver licensing systems will be implemented in a public-private partnership (PPP) model by a consortium of KCB Group and Pesa Print. Recent reports link Pesa Print with President William Ruto. The consortium will provide the funds to build the infrastructure through debt and equity over the next three years. The consortium will then operate the system for the next 21 years. It will charge drivers Sh3,000 to renew driving licenses as well as the administration of instant fines, with part of the money being retained to recoup their investment. KCB is taking over the project after the National Bank of Kenya, which was initially contracted by NTSA alongside Pesa Print to undertake the project, was acquired by Access Bank of Nigeria. NTSA, in a public notice, said the project would entail the production of five million small driving licenses every three years for 21 years, as well as their distribution across the country. The consortium will also put in place facilities that include three production machines to facilitate the production of driving licenses within 48 hours after an application. It will also implement and operationalise an instant finance infrastructure that will include a mobile driving license (MDL) wallet and a USSD fine payment system. The project, according to NTSA, will also entail the "installation of 700 stationary speed enforcement cameras and 300 mobile speed enforcement cameras and deployment of a National Command and Control Centre". Pesa Print describes itself as a wholly owned Kenyan fintech that provides innovative tech solutions. Recent reports say the firm is backed by people with ties to President Ruto, with some of the shareholders also having linkages to some of the President's other businesses. NTSA explained that the project has been in the making since 2017, when the NBK-Pesa Print consortium was contracted to develop the system. It was initially supposed to be financed by allocations from the Treasury, but budgetary constraints saw the government opt for the PPP model. "Due to funding constraints, limitations in geographical coverage and the need for nationwide deployment of instant fines infrastructure, the government resolved to restructure the project into a PPP," said the State. "Following the sale and acquisition of the 100 per cent stake in NBK by Access Bank, the project was transferred to KCB under a deed of novation between NBK and KCB by which KCB undertook to perform all the roles expressly allocated to NBK in the project." The project was approved by the PPP Committee of the National Treasury in June 2024. The PPP agreement was cleared by the Attorney in January 2025, which was later in December 2025 approved by the Cabinet. NTSA said the project is expected to improve safety on Kenyan roads, noting that among the factors contributing to the high level of accidents on Kenyan roads include road indiscipline, poor driver licensing systems and weak enforcement of traffic violations. The results, NTSA said, have been rising road fatalities as well as "huge social cost in physical disablement of human capital and wreckage of families and communities". The transport safety regulator estimates the economic cost of road accidents to be around Sh450 billion annually in medical care. It also noted that there is "rampant bribery and corruption" on the roads.

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