The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has launched a Sh42 billion public-private partnership with KCB Bank Kenya Limited and Pesa Print to introduce second-generation smart driving licences and a nationwide instant fines system.
The initiative is designed to modernize licensing, improve road safety, and curb bribery and corruption across the country.
In a notice dated February 24, 2026, NTSA said the 21-year partnership will cover the “design, personalization, delivery, distribution and issuance of Second-Generation Smart Driving Licences (e-DL)” and the deployment of “instant fine infrastructure including the mobile driving license wallet; driver merit and demerit point system; driver history; driver life cycle management and general information.”
The project is expected to cost Sh42 billion in the first two to three years, funded entirely through private debt and equity. Under the programme, 700 fixed and 300 mobile speed enforcement cameras will be installed along highways, supported by a National Command and Control Centre to monitor compliance.
NTSA said five million secure, five-layer polycarbonate smart cards will be produced every three years for the duration of the 21-year contract. The rollout will rely on over 102 enrolment centres and 392 enrolment kits to ensure drivers receive their licences within 24–48 hours.
The authority noted that Kenya currently has around five million drivers, but only 1.3 million hold smart driving licences, pointing to limited enrolment centres and kits as a key challenge. The initiative also seeks to strengthen enforcement and introduce real-time merit and demerit tracking, addressing what NTSA describes as “rampant bribery and corruption.”
Digital services within the programme will feature a Mobile Driving Licence (MDL) Wallet and an integrated fine payment system compatible with USSD, mobile money, and banking platforms. Users will also have access to tokenized payments, transfers, and balance checks through the e-DL wallet.
According to NTSA, the programme is anchored in Kenya Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028, and the Medium-Term Plan IV (2023–2027).
The authority cited rising road fatalities as a driving factor for the project, which have climbed “from 3,875 in 2019 to over 5,100 in 2024,” with road accidents costing the economy Sh450 billion, equivalent to five per cent of GDP.
NTSA revealed that the initiative began in 2017 under a contract with the National Bank of Kenya and Pesa Print but was later restructured into a PPP to ensure nationwide coverage and overcome funding challenges.
The project has received regulatory approvals, including clearance by the Office of the Attorney General and Cabinet approval in December 2025. NTSA said the disclosure aligns with the Government of Kenya’s commitment to transparency.
