Government wants all motor vehicles to undergo annual inspection to authenticate roadworthiness

The Government wants all motor vehicles including private ones to undergo annual inspection to authenticate their roadworthiness.

The inspection, which is overseen by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), currently focuses only on commercial and public service vehicles.

In draft Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations that are set to undergo public consultation in March, NTSA said all vehicles older than four years will be subject to annual inspection. The draft rules also say vehicles can be subjected to random inspection tests.

"All vehicles which are more than four years old from the recorded date of manufacture shall undergo an annual periodic...inspection test,” NTSA said in the draft regulations.

"For purposes of clarity, vehicles requiring inspection include private, national and county government vehicles, motorcycles but does not include fire vehicles, army vehicles, police armoured vehicles, presidential vehicles, tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes, golf carts and motorised pedal cycles."

NTSA had in 2016 published similar proposals, which did not go through all the required processes. It had then proposed inspection of privately-owned saloon cars every two years, as opposed to the current proposal to do it annually.

At the same time, NTSA has hiked the inspection charges for commercial vehicles beginning April. It is the first time that the fees are being reviewed in more than 20 years.

Vehicle owners currently pay a standard Sh1,000, but this will go up for different categories with heavy commercial vehicles weighing over five tonnes paying the highest inspection charge of Sh4,600.

NTSA said the changes were subjected to public consultation last year and will now take effect on April 1.

Public consultation

"Following stakeholder consultations and subsequent review of motor vehicle inspection fee…the new revised fees will take effect on April 1, 2018,” said NTSA Director General Francis Meja in a public notice yesterday.

The new charges were gazetted in December 2017 pending the publication of a commencement date.

In the new charges, boda boda riders will pay Sh1,300 to have their motor bikes inspected, while owners of vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 2000cc will pay Sh2,600 and inspection of vehicles with a capacity of 3000cc will cost Sh3,900.

Annual inspection applies to commercial vehicles including matatus and taxis as well as motorcycles, which have become a critical means for many people to move around town.