The association insisted motorists should not be required to incur additional costs to facilitate the government’s digitisation agenda.

📻 Breaking It Down

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 12 — The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has rejected plans to charge vehicle owners for converting physical logbooks into electronic logbooks, describing the move as “unjustified and unreasonable” and accusing government agencies of imposing backdoor taxation on motorists.

The association argued that motorists have already paid for logbooks during vehicle registration and should not be required to incur additional costs to facilitate the government’s digitisation agenda.

The protest comes days after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) announced the rollout of its electronic logbook (eLogbook) system as part of efforts to improve the security, traceability and management of vehicle ownership records.

📌 What You Need to Know

In a statement on Friday, MAK accused government agencies of forcing vehicle owners to pay twice for services that were already covered by statutory registration fees.

“This charge is unjustified, unreasonable and amounts to yet another form of backdoor taxation and institutionalised extortion of Kenyan motorists,” the association said.

MAK noted fees paid during vehicle registration already cover the issuance of logbooks and vehicle identification plates, making any charge for converting existing records into digital format a case of double payment.

The association maintained that taxpayers should not bear the cost of implementing a government policy initiative.

“When a vehicle is registered, motorists pay all prescribed registration fees. Those fees include the issuance of a logbook and vehicle identification plates. The transition from physical logbooks to electronic logbooks is a government policy and digitisation project. It is not a service requested by motorists,” the association stated.

MAK further warned that the proposed fee reflects a growing trend of duplicate charges imposed on motorists, citing fees for digital driving licences and replacement vehicle identification plates despite previous payments for similar services.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya