NTSA revokes 69 licenses, blames police for unqualified drivers

Some 69 drivers have been ordered to go back to school after the transport authority revoked their licenses.

The National Safety and Transport Authority(NTSA) has made the move after a list of over 80 rogue drivers was submitted to them from the Traffic Commandant Jecinta Muthoni's office.

Of the 69 whose licenses have been revoked, 53 came from one school-UNIK and they had been earlier failed by their examiners only for another examiner going back to the system to change the results to pass.

According to an attached letter, the commandant had blamed NTSA for issuing fake licenses allegations the authority has distanced itself from.

Instead, the authority has pointed fingers of blame to the police whom they said they are still the responsible authority that determines not only who is licenses but also the quality of drivers in the country.

"All examiners of driving school are police officers as we are yet to take up that mandate. They are the ones who decide who passes and who fails then they upload the details in the system before NTSA uses the details to issue licenses," said NTSA Director General in charge of licensing and registration Jacqueline Githinji.

In a letter addressed to the NTSA Director General Francis Meja, the commandant had attached a list of over 80 license owners majorly from the coast region whom the police suspected had been issued with fake licenses.

"We have since revoked 69 of the licenses with the drivers ordered to go back to school for fresh training," said Ms Githinji.

In the reply of the letter dated April 28 to the commandant, the authority also stated that the police officers (examiners) who altered the results will be denied entry to the e-citizen platform, and action will be taken against the driving schools.

"...we also request that you take action against the officers and send a warning to all examiners to desist from this behaviour of altering results," read the letter in part.

Since NTSA online system took over, Ms Githinji said the driving schools' tap has ran dry:" In the past they would collude with the Kenya Revenue Authority so that they do not remit the Provisional Driving License fees of Sh600 per student."

This was denying the country an average of Sh9 million in taxes every month: "It seems they may have resorted to using other means to replenish their taps but we are running a countrywide system query that will flash all of them out."

Some 69 drivers have been ordered to go back to school after the transport authority revoked their licenses.

The National Safety and Transport Authority(NTSA) has made the move after a list of over 80 rogue drivers was submitted to them from the Traffic Commandant Jecinta Muthoni's office.

Of the 69 whose licenses have been revoked, 53 came from one school-UNIK and they had been earlier failed by their examiners only for another examiner going back to the system to change the results to pass.

According to an attached letter, the commandant had blamed NTSA for issuing fake licenses allegations the authority has distanced itself from.

Instead, the authority has pointed fingers of blame to the police whom they said they are still the responsible authority that determines not only who is licenses but also the quality of drivers in the country.

"All examiners of driving school are police officers as we are yet to take up that mandate. They are the ones who decide who passes and who fails then they upload the details in the system before NTSA uses the details to issue licenses," said NTSA Director General in charge of licensing and registration Jacqueline Githinji.

In a letter addressed to the NTSA Director General Francis Meja, the commandant had attached a list of over 80 license owners majorly from the coast region whom the police suspected had been issued with fake licenses.

"We have since revoked 69 of the licenses with the drivers ordered to go back to school for fresh training," said Ms Githinji.

In the reply of the letter dated April 28 to the commandant, the authority also stated that the police officers (examiners) who altered the results will be denied entry to the e-citizen platform, and action will be taken against the driving schools.

"...we also request that you take action against the officers and send a warning to all examiners to desist from this behaviour of altering results," read the letter in part.

Since NTSA online system took over, Ms Githinji said the driving schools' tap has ran dry:" In the past they would collude with the Kenya Revenue Authority so that they do not remit the Provisional Driving License fees of Sh600 per student."

This was denying the country an average of Sh9 million in taxes every month: "It seems they may have resorted to using other means to replenish their taps but we are running a countrywide system query that will flash all of them out."