The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director General Nashon Kondiwa is facing possible committal to civil jail over accusations of defying a court order.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Kondiwa stands accused of ignoring a conservatory order that halted the rollout of a controversial smart driving licence and automated instant traffic fines system.

This follows a petition filed by the Road Safety Association of Kenya (RSAK), through its chairman, David Kiarie, who moved to the High Court on August 12 seeking to have Kondiwa cited for contempt.

The lobby claims NTSA pressed ahead with the public-private partnership (PPP) deal even after being formally served with a suspension order.

📌 What You Need to Know

As per the petitioner, Kondiwa was personally informed of the alleged breach through a formal letter dated June 5, which the lobby says he received on the very same day.

The petition details the dispute, which traces back to a PPP deal between NTSA and a financial technology company, which was tasked with coming up with the design as well as the complete rollout of the smart licences and the digital fines.

In this regard, High Court judge Magare Dennis Kizito had issued a conservatory order on May 29, suspending the implementation of the entire arrangement pending further hearings.

The order was served to all parties involved in the scuffle, NTSA included, first via email on May 30 and later in person on June 2.

Despite this, the petitioner insists the authority continued enforcing the automated fines system, prompting the fresh contempt application now before the court.

The matter has since grown bigger, with a related petition filed by the Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) drawing in several other state agencies.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke