National Transport and Safety Authority takes over road transport roles

All road transport department services have been transferred from the Kenya Revenue Authority to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) effective July 1. This means that motorists applying for new driving licences or vehicle logbooks will henceforth be required to do so from the NTSA and not from the ground floor of the Times Towers as has been the practice for years.

Some of the other crucial services moved to the now influential transport authority include registration and licensing of motor vehicles and trailers, licensing of drivers and conductors, motor vehicles and drivers’ records and licensing of motor vehicle dealers. Other roles include transfer of motor vehicle ownership and issuance of motor vehicles copy of records.

However, revenue collection roles pertaining to the above services will remain with KRA according to a public notice issued yesterday. “NTSA has formally taken over the ...functions that were previously under the Road Transport Department with effect from July 1, 2014,” the joint notice by the KRA and the NTSA said.

According to KRA’s fourth quarter performance figures covering the period between April and June 2014, a total of Sh1.030 billion in traffic fees and licences was collected from the road transport department against a target of Sh1.031 billion, realising a performance rate of 99.9 per cent.

Training of drivers

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2012/13 financial year when Sh0.21 billion was collected, traffic fees and licences revenue recorded a growth of 26.2 per cent. The notice added that in light of these changes, communication such as court orders, caveats, police bonds, tape-lift report and service delivery touching on the road transport functions should henceforth be addressed to NTSA offices on the 8th floor of Times Towers.
NTSA has also posted on its website some key forms required for some of the functions above.

For instance, NTSA has branded and changed the motor vehicle and trailer transfer forms that were initially issued by KRA. The authority has also published the curriculum for training, testing and training of drivers. It was not immediately possible to say staff working at the KRA’s transport department would be moved to NTSA but this could be the most likely scenario.