The National Transport and Safety Authority is once again hiding behind the banner of public safety to justify what can only be described as a financial assault on Kenyan motorists.
Starting this July, every vehicle older than four years will be forced into mandatory annual inspections booked through eCitizen.
On paper, the NTSA claims this move will clean up our roads, check emissions, and fix faulty brakes. In reality, it feels less like a genuine safety strategy and much more like a coordinated cash grab targeting citizens who are already stretched to their absolute limits.
Kenyan drivers are already drowning in high fuel prices, soaring insurance premiums, and the relentless cost of basic maintenance.
Introducing a mandatory annual inspection fee does not magically make cars safer; it simply siphons billions of shillings out of the pockets of everyday citizens and into a government system.
The timing is completely disconnected from the economic reality on the ground.
What makes this policy truly frustrating is the open secret surrounding NTSA inspection centers. For years, these facilities have been notorious not for rigorous mechanical testing, but for systemic corruption.
Everyone knows how the game is played: a dangerous, unroadworthy vehicle can get a clean bill of health in minutes if the right bribe is paid, while an honest driver with a minor issue gets tied up in bureaucratic red tape.
Forcing millions of more cars through this broken pipeline, the NTSA is not eliminating road hazards—it is scaling up a loophole for bribery.
