Another tax? Gov't to collect billions as NTSA's annual vehicle inspections begin on July 1

Under the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026, all privately owned and government vehicles older than four years from the date of manufacture will be required to undergo an inspection test once every year.

The new regulations will also apply to Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), school vehicles, locally assembled vehicles, vehicles involved in accidents and vehicles that have undergone structural or mechanical modifications.

According to NTSA, Kenya has more than six million registered vehicles. Based on the inspection charges by the authority, the government could potentially collect at least Ksh.12 billion annually if all registered vehicles fell under the categories and paid the set Ksh.1,000 booking fee and Ksh.1,000 inspection fee. 

However, the actual amount collected could be lower since some vehicles, including motorcycles and three-wheelers, attract lower charges (Ksh.200 booking fee and Ksh.300 inspection fee). 

Further, tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes, golf carts, motorised pedal cycles and all-terrain vehicles are exempt from the inspections.

Additionally, vehicles intended for re-registration, alternative ownership transfers or those missing from NTSA's online records will also have to undergo inspection.

Motorists whose vehicles pass the inspection will be issued an inspection sticker and report. The regulations prohibit the operation of any vehicle on public roads without a valid inspection sticker.

Any person found operating a vehicle without the sticker commits an offence and will be liable to penalties provided under the Traffic Act.

Vehicle owners whose cars fail inspection will receive a defect inspection report detailing repairs that need to be undertaken before re-inspection.

The regulations provide a grace period of 14 days during which re-inspection at the same inspection centre will be conducted free of charge. Vehicle owners seeking re-inspection after the 14 days or at a different inspection centre will have to pay fresh charges.

A person convicted of offences under the regulations risks imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, a fine not exceeding Ksh.20,000, or both.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV's Monday Report on June 15, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa said the annual inspection requirement is already anchored in law but acknowledged that the 12-month interval may not be sufficient for vehicles that spend most of their time on the road.

"We regularly check but what is in the law is an annual inspection. For users who are always on the road, 12 months is such a long time," Kondiwa said.

He argued that the ageing public transport fleet is largely a financing challenge, noting that many operators continue using old vehicles because they lack affordable credit to renew their fleets.

"The big problem we have with operators is financing capacity. They operate really old vehicles because they lack the financing capacity. These are symptoms of a wrong model we're operating in in the public transport system," he stated.

Kondiwa also revealed that NTSA is in the process of operationalising private vehicle inspection centres to boost capacity.

"We have a new law on vehicle inspection. The new regulations were published in February and are being operationalised from July 1, 2026. What we're trying to do is to bring in independent or private vehicle inspection centres because they require heavy investments," he added.