Here is the statement by Fred Okengo Matiangi criticising the move by NTSA to introduce Ksh2,000 annual inspection fee :
THE PROPOSED MANDATORY ANNUAL VEHICLE INSPECTION CHARGES ARE INSENSITIVE & UNFAIR!!
Fellow Kenyans,
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has announced that, effective July 1, private vehicles older than four years will be subjected to mandatory annual inspections at a cost of KSh2,000 per vehicle, while motorcycles will also attract compulsory inspection charges.
Road safety is a legitimate national objective. Every Kenyan wants safer roads, fewer accidents and vehicles that meet acceptable safety standards. However, public policy must be evidence-based, proportionate, transparent and sensitive to the economic realities facing citizens.
The proposed inspection regime fails that test.
Kenyans are already burdened by high fuel prices, multiple taxes and levies, rising insurance premiums, expensive spare parts, parking charges, licensing fees and an increasing cost of living. Introducing another compulsory annual payment without demonstrating its necessity places yet another financial burden on households and businesses that are already under immense pressure.
We therefore call upon the Government to immediately suspend the implementation of this directive and subject it to comprehensive public review.
Specifically, Kenyans deserve clear answers to the following questions:
How many active private vehicles will be affected by this policy?
How much revenue does the Government expect to collect annually?
What evidence demonstrates that annual inspections for vehicles older than four years will significantly reduce road accidents?
What proportion of road crashes in Kenya is attributable to mechanical defects, compared with human error, poor road engineering and traffic congestion?
Does NTSA currently have sufficient inspection capacity to serve millions of motorists efficiently without creating long delays and opportunities for corruption?
What safeguards have been put in place to ensure that this programme does not become another avenue for rent-seeking and harassment of motorists?
Road safety cannot be reduced to the collection of inspection fees.
If Government is genuinely committed to saving lives, it must address the major causes of road accidents comprehensively. These include reckless driving, speeding, drunk driving, poor road design, inadequate road maintenance, weak enforcement of existing traffic laws and traffic congestion. Vehicle condition is only one part of a much larger road safety strategy.
Good governance requires transparency.
Before imposing mandatory costs on citizens, Government must publish the data, the policy analysis, the cost-benefit assessment and the implementation plan that justify such a far-reaching decision.
This is also a constitutional issue. Public power must always be exercised reasonably, proportionately and in the public interest. Citizens should never be treated merely as sources of revenue.
We therefore urge Parliament to subject this policy to immediate scrutiny and require NTSA to table all supporting evidence before implementation proceeds.
Jubilee Party stands firmly with Kenyan motorists, transport operators, small businesses and ordinary families who continue to shoulder an ever-growing burden of taxes, fees and levies.
Kenya’s economic recovery will not be achieved by continually imposing new charges on already struggling citizens. It will be achieved by growing the economy, creating jobs, fighting corruption, improving public services and restoring confidence between citizens and the State.
We call upon all Kenyans to reject this policy in its current form and to demand a transparent, evidence-based and affordable road safety framework that protects both lives and livelihoods.
Road safety is essential. Excessive financial extraction is not.
Dr. Fred Matiang’i
Deputy Party Leader Jubilee Party
