The Ministry of Transport has introduced new regulations aimed at capturing road lawbreakers through the use of covert digital cameras installed along major highways.
The pilot phase of the project began in November 2024, with cameras strategically placed on various roads.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Transport, Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced that the government also plans to establish Vehicle Inspection Centres as part of the broader road safety initiative.
Chirchir told MPs, “We will be opening up inspection space to all the major dealers and petrol stations who make the licensing requirements for inspection and the news for equipment for inspection so that the licensing should be done in every county.”
The committee chairperson told the MPs that a road user texted him, telling him that he had received texts from NTSA about speeding and had been required to pay a certain fee as a fine for breaking the law.
‘’ I received a text saying that I am driving at a speed of higher than a hundred and ten Kilometers per hour and I need to pay a certain amount when I was driving to Kirinyaga.’’
The ministry is developing a digital system to identify and track individuals breaking the law.
CS Chirchir told the MPs that the pilot is ongoing.
”There are some digital cameras installed in some locations for testing’. ”There are some digital cameras installed in some locations for testing. We’ve collected enough data, and we should be going into a second phase of institutionalising and procuring some of these cameras, both fixed and mobile, so that we can improve the behaviour on the roads.”
NTSA CEO George Njau told MPs that the pilot project is still ongoing and urged the public to support its implementation by allocating the necessary budgetary resources to help in curbing road vices, which has been experienced before.
‘’It’s part of the pilot project which we started in November, and we have been testing them. They are located along Thika Highway, Mombasa Road and South Bypass.”
Njau added, “We have now six months’ test, and the data is now accurately captured. The next phase is to roll out the additional 408 enrolment kits.”
The NTSA Director has urged Members of Parliament to support increased budgetary allocations to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
“We have other regulations at the AG chambers for review but we don’t have a budgetary allocation to be able to roll out in the whole country.” MPs have noted the ministry’s efforts in ensuring Kenya makes a milestone step into the transport sector, an idea that will spark an impact on the economy both nationally and within the region through encompassing an investigation agency on our roads.
