The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is under pressure to overhaul its number plate production after delays left thousands of motorists waiting months for their plates despite timely registration.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

This is after Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu, on Wednesday, July 15, formally requested the Senate Committee on Roads to intervene over delays in the production and issuance of new-generation number plates.

The committee was further tasked with explaining NTSA's production capacity and its plans to expand, modernise or decentralise number plate production and distribution.

Nyutu also sought details of pending number plate applications as of July 1, 2026 , including a breakdown by county, vehicle category and how long each application had been outstanding.

📌 What You Need to Know

In addition, the committee was asked to provide the status of procurement of raw materials and other inputs required for the manufacture of number plates.

Nyutu noted that despite motorists complying with vehicle registration requirements and paying the prescribed fees, many continue to experience prolonged delays in receiving their number plates.

The latest demands come amid growing frustration among motorists, with some waiting more than two months to receive their number plates.

The issue has also exposed motorists to legal risks, as vehicles operating without valid registration plates can attract fines, impoundment or even imprisonment under the Traffic Act.

The concerns come barely a month after NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa admitted that the authority was grappling with a backlog of more than 30,000 number plates that had already been paid for but remained unprinted.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on June 16, Kondiwa attributed the delays to underfunding and operational challenges that have persisted since the beginning of 2026.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke