- The Kenyan government has launched new digital plates for all vehicles. The cost of replacing old vehicle number plates is KSh3,000 ($25).
- All motor vehicles, from motorcycles to heavy trailers, will be required to adopt the new plates.
- The new generation of licence plates includes a new font, QR code, a hologram, an NTSA serial number, and a Kenyan flag. It also has a security feature, a microchip that will allow law enforcement to track vehicles.
This development complies with the Traffic Act of 2016, which includes a provision allowing security agencies to track vehicles suspected of being involved in a crime or illegal activity.
Every plate number will be assigned a serial number, and the serial number will correspond with the chassis number.
So, if the police stop someone driving a Range Rover and the number plate is registered under a tractor, these plates will address that issue.
According to Dr Fred Matiang'i, Cabinet Secretary, the plates will be attached to vehicles imported into the country at the point of entry and be synchronised with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) systems to help eliminate tax evasion in the car-selling business.
He stated that a multi-agency unit of the security sector carries out this work and is part of the reforms initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta following the Dusit terror attack in 2019.
“We have had cases where banks hold fake papers in the name of log books that were held as collateral, and it became difficult to trace the real owners of loans taken,” Matiang'i said.
So, the government will share data with banking institutions to enable them to curb fraud and forgery involved in securing funds.
New plates will be issued to newly registered vehicles in the KDK series, with the replacement of existing plates beginning on October 1, 2022.
Currently, there are nearly 4.8 million vehicles in Kenya. So, Kenyans have an 18-month window to change their current plates to new ones.
Be the smartest in the room
Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.
