NTSA crackdown: Non-compliant PSVs to be removed from roads

Kisumu Central Base Commander Jane Mbevi inspects seat belts in one of the PSVs in Kisumu during the national crackdown on un-road worthy vehicles. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Public transport operators with less than 30 vehicles have 30 days to enforce the NTSA (Operation of PSV (public service vehicles) Regulations 2014, failure to which they will have their licences revoked.

All vehicles will be required to have a valid inspection sticker, road service licence, valid driving licence and PSV badges for drivers and conductors.

Further, all vehicles that have been involved in fatal crashes will undergo mandatory safety compliance assessments that will entail inspection of the units to ascertain roadworthiness, assessment of driver qualifications and driving ability, and demonstration of full compliance and adherence to the PSV Regulations of 2014.

The NTSA board has set up these regulations following a raft of road accidents in the year. In addition to measures given by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, they are meant to remove non-compliant vehicles from roads and address the looming menace of road carnage.

Between January and March 20, 2023, more than 974 Kenyans died through road accidents. And although this number was a 4.6 per cent decrease from a similar period last year, a succession of crashes has instilled fear on Kenyan roads.

"Vehicles will also need to install a speed limiter approved by CMTE (Chief Mechanical and Transport Engineer), Kenya Bureau of Standard (Kebs) and NTSA "as per the K2295:2018 standard that transmits data to the authority's servers," NTSA said.

"The authority shall provide both technological and policy advisory support to the National Police Service to ensure the fulfilment of their mandate regarding the enforcement of traffic laws."

NTSA, in conjunction with the National Police Service, will also commence the suspension, revocation and retesting of any driver who drives or endangers the public, including motorists driving in a dangerous manner.

The agency also intends to address traffic congestion by halting PSV route extensions and variations in Nairobi and its environs until an assessment of facilities available is conducted.

Until a safety compliance assessment is complete, vehicles involved in crashes between April 15-19 will not be allowed to operate.