The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has clarified that mandatory inspections for private vehicles will not take effect on July 1, with Director General Nashon Kondiwa saying the enforcement date will be announced later after the government expands inspection facilities and prepares the country for the rollout.
Speaking during an interview on NTV on Tuesday, Kondiwa dismissed reports that motorists would be required to present their vehicles for inspection from July 1, saying the authority had never communicated such a deadline.
"My communication was very clear that the enforcement will be communicated later. It's not starting on first of July," he said. "I don't know where Kenyans came with the mandatory inspection that all vehicles must be inspected by first of July."
The clarification comes amid public discussion over proposed vehicle inspection regulations targeting privately owned and government vehicles that are more than four years old. The framework also covers public service vehicles, school transport vehicles and modified vehicles.
Kondiwa said the programme would only be implemented once the necessary infrastructure is in place and both public and private inspection centres are ready to handle the expected demand.
"We are looking at somewhere next year, but it will depend on the readiness, especially for private motor vehicle inspection centres," he said.
He noted that the authority intends to introduce the programme gradually rather than requiring immediate compliance from millions of vehicle owners.
"We are seeing a transition of almost a year because of the sheer numbers. We'll begin the inspection in a manner that gives Kenyans time," he said.
According to the NTSA chief, enforcement cannot begin before adequate inspection capacity is established across the country.
"We are very practical. If the inspection centres are not ready, you cannot demand that people have the inspection of their vehicles done," he said.
Kondiwa said the government currently operates 17 vehicle inspection centres and is working to expand the network so that each county has a public inspection facility.
"We have 17 inspection centres. We are upgrading them... our intention is to have 47, in other words, at least every county to have a public inspection centre," he said.
In addition to government facilities, the authority expects private investors to set up about 70 inspection centres to support the programme and improve access for motorists.
The NTSA boss defended the planned inspections, saying they are intended to enhance road safety, improve vehicle monitoring and support emissions control efforts.
He also addressed concerns about corruption in the inspection process, saying the authority is reducing opportunities for human interference by introducing automated systems.
"If the brake is not working, the system will say it is not working. It's not somebody to enter that the brake is not working," he said.
Kondiwa added that NTSA aims to automate all 17 government inspection centres by December, allowing machines to conduct tests and generate reports without human involvement, a move he said would improve efficiency and credibility in the inspection process.